


Dissonant Harmonies

by purple_summer



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Background Relationships, Danny-centric, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, M/M, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Slow Burn, Teacher Derek Hale, glee club au, like really slow burn, no one's dead but most people are in Glee Club, no supernatural elements only singing, pretty much everyone is queer so get ready for that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:08:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 82,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27115178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purple_summer/pseuds/purple_summer
Summary: Danny has never liked Stiles. Never. Not even a little. So when he auditions for the glee club Danny holds so close to his heart and actually gets in, he's less than thrilled. Especially since he already has to contend with mind-games, fighting, and the neckbreak world of high school show choir.And even worse? Through all the battles, competition, and rehearsal, Danny begins to realise his feelings for Stiles were nowhere near as simple as he thought."Like" never did have anything to do with love, after all.
Relationships: Danny Mahealani/Stiles Stilinski
Comments: 67
Kudos: 29





	1. A Swift Destruction of Peace

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you in advance for reading! I'll be introducing the other members of the club in subsequent chapters. I haven't written fanfiction in a long time, so I'd appreciate any feedback in the comments. Hope you enjoy!

For the third year in a row, Danny gripped the door handle to the auditorium, let out a sigh that coincided with a strong roll of the eyes, before putting on a brave, albeit neutral face and heading in to the most dreaded day of each year in Glee club: auditions.

Every year a small selection doe-eyed freshmen, narcissistic wallflowers, and wannabe-Troy-Boltons showed up to become lead soloist, when most of them could barely hold a note.

It’s not as if Danny wasn’t welcoming to newcomers, he just hated the sense of entitlement that came with being part of an artistic club. In lacrosse, if you didn’t do well at tryouts, you didn’t make the team. Everyone knew that. Everyone understood it. So why when it’s a show choir do people suddenly not understand that showing up isn’t all that counts?

So really, it wasn’t auditions Danny hated. The shrieking high notes and shaky riffs were actually pretty entertaining, and it was nice when two or three actually had the chops to join the team. It was the aftermath of petulant whining and rejected singers coming up to him asking why they hadn’t gotten in, as if he had any control over it. Because _how_ could a silly little singing club be too good for them?

Finishing his yearly internal rant, which he’d now managed to fit neatly between the door to the auditorium and his usual seat, he sat down a couple of seats away from Scott. Mr Hale enforced a three seat distance between the two boys after the auditions of their Sophomore year, citing whispered comments about people which were “too mean and too audible.” It was fine though. Glances to each other were more than enough.

“Hey, buddy.” Scott said, flashing Danny a smile which he could never help but return.

He barely got to reply “Hey” before Mr Hale commanded “Three seats apart!” from a few rows up. Danny raised his hands and turned away from Scott, determined not to incite a lecture that would make this go on longer than it needed to. The thinly cushioned seats were painful enough to endure without a scolding for crimes long gone by. He looked towards the stage, and saw the nervous face preparing to go on first peeking out from behind the blue curtain. The stage was the only thing lit, presumably to create an atmosphere, but really it gave Danny a chance to gauge their attitudes when they don’t know they can be seen. Poor girl, he thought. She really did look frightened. He said a little prayer for her to be talented, or at the very least not run off crying, as the click of Mr Hale’s pen signified the beginning of auditions.

“Okay,” Hale’s voice boomed into the open space, “first up we have… Malia Tate.”

Malia’s nervousness seemed less built on dread and more on excitement as she trepidly took centre stage with a smile. “Hi, I’m Malia, obviously,” she joked, earning nothing but synchronised nose-exhales of bemusement from Scott and Danny.

“Boys…” Hale warned quietly, before switching his tone back to cheery as he shouted down to her, “And what will you be singing for us today?”

“I will be singing ‘The History of Wrong Guys’ from Kinky Boots.” She looked to her left, indicating the music to start, and cleared her throat. The second the first beat of the music chimed, she completely shifted; she suddenly had the stage presence of someone who’d never taken a single step offstage.

The opening of the song was mostly speaking, leaving spots of hesitation in Danny’s mind, but he was transfixed by her exaggerated sighs, and characterised self-mocking. Even if she was tone deaf, she could be great for group performance. They’d just need to ask her to sing quietly. There is a show in show choir after all.

“Women have been making bad choices, since the beginning of time. Are you going to be another one of mine? Oh…” she sang, a slight rasp in her rich alto voice that had Danny and Scott turning to each other with surprised delight on their faces. It remained there throughout her performance.

As her music faded, Malia was greeted with rapturous cheers and applause from the existing members of the Hills Harmonics. Once it had died down, Mr Hale offered a kind but respectfully neutral “Thank you so much Miss Tate, list goes up tomorrow.”

She waved, mouthed a thank you, and pattered offstage. She was clearly thrilled, which brightened up the smile on Danny’s face even more. She had put him in a good mood, an optimistic one, that maybe this would be the year all the talent came rushing in.

He was a fool, and the universe told him so.

The rest of the auditions were predominantly painful. Only one other girl showed any potential, Hayden something, with an adequate though less than rousing Adele cover. Still, she could always improve, and it’s not like anyone else was stepping up to her level.

Following a third atrocious rendition of ‘Waving Through A Window’, a song Danny didn’t realise he hated until that day, there was only one audition left. “Thank God…” Danny mumbled to himself, the seat under him starting to feel as unforgiving as stone.

For the final time that day, Mr Hale spoke. “Okay, last up we have… Stiles Stilinski.”

Danny felt his fists tighten as his eyes went wide. Oh, Christ.

Not Stiles.

He'd rather hear a fourth terrible Waving Through A Window.

He'd rather anyone or anything else.

Against the values of all his good upbringing, Danny actively hoped that Stiles would be terrible as his head poked out onstage. Though being perpetually irritated by his presence was a fun enough inside joke at lacrosse, show choir was his happy place. Stiles being here would make it a Stiles place. That was not a good thing.

Scott whooped and clapped ferociously as his best friend took the stage, drawing a dark glare from Danny. He often wondered what Scott saw in Stiles, or what anyone who wasn’t trying to sleep with him would. And even then, that’s a lot of personality to handle for a pretty face.

He supposed one could find his hyper-activeness charming. If he were a puppy. But he wasn’t. He was a seventeen year old idiot. The room was split, half the group eager for him to succeed and the other half already dreading the noise he would bring with him to rehearsals.

“Hey.” He said, somehow creating mic feedback. Because of course he did. He then started tapping it, as if that would help, muttering “Sorry, sorry, guess I was too close…”

“That’s alright- Stiles? Mr Stilinski, stop tapping the microphone.” Hale insisted. Stiles froze in place, and Danny smiled. This was good. If he was irritating Mr Hale already, he might already be screwing his chances. “Thank you. Now what will you be singing for us today?”

A smirk pulled at the corners of his mouth, and Danny already knew he was about to be furious at the selection. “Er, Style. By Taylor Swift.” He said, barely containing a laugh. Danny wasn’t sure if his teeth were grinding more because of him using a song purely because it’s basically his name, or because of Scott’s shoulders bouncing up and down in his peripheral vision telling him he also thought it was funny. Maybe they did deserve each other. In which case, what the fuck was Danny doing being friends with Scott?

Stiles held the microphone tight as the intro to his song played. Danny was tense, not necessarily anticipating the worst, but hoping for it. Come on, he thought. Missed notes, out of key, out of time, something that will make this audition sink.

“Midnight, you come and pick me up…” Stiles sang, in an unfortunately stellar baritone. Danny squeezed his eyes shut and breathed as slowly as he could manage. Fuck, he thought. He’s good. He’s actually good.

Danny sat miserable as Stiles won over the room, person by person, swanning around the stage with an earnest charm that put Danny’s hopes of a peaceful senior year in a grave. Why did he need to have such a nice voice? Where was the mediocrity that kept him benched at lacrosse and might have been just enough to keep him out of the Harmonics?

Stiles made eye contact with Danny and seemed shaken for a second. He felt a twinge of guilt. As much as he definitely didn’t want Stiles here, he also wouldn’t want to make him feel bad. Stiles turned that guilt into anger as he used what Danny was giving him, fucking _used_ that irritation, and sang straight at him. “You got that long hair, slicked back white t-shirt…” he sang with a wink, a fucking wink, before dedicating the rest of his song out to the group. Danny was livid. His hair wasn't even slicked back. Moron. And worst of all, it tuned Danny into his performance enough to notice that he was singing “out of Stiles” instead of “out of style.” Even Danny knew the amount of rage this fuelled in him was ridiculous, but nonetheless he was about to jump out of his chair, rip it from the seating bank, and throw it at Stiles.

Danny, caught up in his visions of violence, failed to realise he was the only one not clapping after Stiles’ performance. He clapped reluctantly and watched him. Danny noticed something. He was silent. For the first time in his life, probably. And smiling, not a snarky grin, but an appreciative little tilt of his lips that made his big eyes sparkle.

Oh, no. Danny thought.

Okay.

So maybe when he was quiet and not being asshole, he was somewhat cute. But that was the problem: he was never quiet, and he was always being an asshole.

He exited the stage, thankfully without another word, and Mr Hale switched the aggressively bright auditorium lights back on, gaining groans of discomfort from the entire club. “Alright, I think it’s safe to say we found some great new members today!” Hale said, speaking over them. “Oh, Scott, good job convincing Stiles to try out. I always thought this would be a good place for him to put all that… energy.”

By the time Danny turned to punch Scott right in his face, he was already scurrying towards the exit. “No problem, Mr Hale!” he replied shakily. As he reached the door, he turned to face Danny, mouthed an apology made less than legitimate by his clear laughter, and ran out. Danny knew if he opened his mouth at that moment, he would scream.

A hand with perfectly lilac nails settled on his shoulder. “Diner?” said the voice connected to it. Danny looked up to see Lydia smiling down at him. “Seems like you could really use it.”

Danny let out a slow exhale. “Well, who am I to break tradition?”

Danny got up, trying hard not to be actively seething over something as relatively trivial as a glee club audition as he and Lydia headed out to his car. Trying, that is. But it was hard when he couldn’t get the image of Stiles winking at him out of his head. Somehow, he could tell that moment was going to be stuck in his mind for a long time.


	2. Whine and Dine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! If you enjoy, please leave kudos and comment :)

No sooner had Danny sat down on the plush red leather of the booth seat than his head was in his hands as he let out a deep groan. Lydia chuckled as she scanned a menu, despite knowing what her order would be. “Alright, let it out.” She said.

Danny groaned even louder in response.

“Okay, let it out a little less. People are staring.” She requested, before she tipped Danny’s head back up to face her. “I think you’re overreacting a little here, Danny.”

“Why Stiles? Why _Stiles_?” Danny moaned, particularly disgusted emphasis each time he said his name.

Lydia couldn’t help but laugh. “God, I didn’t realise you hated him this much. What do you do at lacrosse?”

“I can ignore him on the field, there’s enough happening I don’t really need to see him. Or hear him. But glee club? God, he’s never going to shut up, I’m going to have no choice but to hear him.” Danny shuddered at the thought of Stiles’ buffoonery making every rehearsal a living nightmare. Danny knew he couldn't just leave Stiles in the dust in this club. Mr Hale prided himself on creating a "welcoming, safe environment." On the field, they’d run right past Stiles if he fell. Mr Hale would make the whole club stop and help him up. It was kind in theory, but Danny knew it would be endlessly frustrating in practice given that Stiles seemed to leave his balance in the same place as his attention span.

A waiter approached their table with hesitation, knowing he was mostly to blame for the customer’s anger. “Hi, welcome to the Bright Beacon Diner, can I take your order?” he said, in a lower pitch than he was used to, hoping Danny wouldn’t look up. He looked up immediately.

“Hello, Scott.” Danny said, feigning politeness in a way that made the other man shiver. “I’d like a hot coffee and I’d like you to throw it in your own face.”

Scott gulped, unsure just how serious Danny was being. “Will that be regular or decaf?” he joked. It at least landed with Lydia, who hid a smile with her hands.

“Why did you do that to me, Scott? Was he even thinking about trying out before you said anything?” Danny pressed. “Also, regular. And I’ll have the roast beef with a side of fries…” 

Scott scribbled down the order and spoke quiet enough that his boss wouldn’t hear him discussing private matters on the clock. “We need new singers, Danny. Braeden graduated, Jackson transferred, we need twelve just to compete. And you know he’s good.”

Danny looked to Lydia for support, who couldn’t find it in herself to give him any. “He was pretty good, Danny. Probably better than he is at lacrosse.”

“How much is that saying? He’s been on the bench so long it’s moulded to his ass like memory foam.”

“Well, see? He is capable of making a good impression!” Lydia retorted. “Just give him another chance. Maybe you’ll like him better in glee club.”

Danny thought for a moment, before simply stating “No.” which earned him an eyeroll from both Scott and Lydia. “Look,” he went on to explain, “I have had a _lot_ of classes with Stiles, I’ve been on the Lacrosse team with him for, what, four years now? I just don’t like him. And I don’t want glee club to be another place I have to deal with him.”

“Maybe that’s the problem. Maybe you should stop 'just dealing with him' and start giving him a chance to show you he’s actually a pretty nice guy.” Lydia suggested. Scott nodded in agreement.

Danny sighed. “I just want my roast beef and fries.”

Lydia and Scott shared a glance of acceptance that this would not be the day they won Danny over to Stiles. Lydia folded her colourful menu and handed it to Scott as she ordered her usual, and he went away without a word. Lydia set her hands down on the pristine white table and spoke with authority. “Okay, I’m setting a rule.” Danny glanced up in surprise at her sudden switch, “You have to be nice to Stiles for three rehearsals. Not ignore him, not fake nice in that way we do that scares people, actually be nice to him. If you still hate him after that, fine, you do it quietly. But you have to give yourself a chance to make this not miserable for yourself.”

“But…” Danny began, but Lydia’s stare had already beaten any argument he could make. “Fine.” He said, accepting defeat. “Maybe you’re right.”

“Of course she is, when is she not?” said an all-too-familiar voice as it approached. He was pretty much the last person Danny wanted to see, so he decided now was as good a time as any to practice being nice to people he wasn’t fond of.

“Hey, Theo. Nice to see you.” Danny beamed, forcing a twitch of confusion from Theo’s face, before he re-gained his assured façade.

“Er, you too, Dan.” That was not his name. “So, special occasion?”

Lydia scoffed. “If I’m coming here for a special occasion, assume I’m being held hostage. We just come here after the auditions every year. Tradition.” Lydia explained. “What about you?”

Theo dragged some hair out of his face with a shrug, “Seemed as nice a place as any to take Hayden after a successful audition. Guess I don’t have your refined taste, Lydia.”

“It takes practice,” she said, before leaning closer to Theo and lowering her voice, “by the way, how do you know she got in? List doesn’t go up until tomorrow. We don’t want another Ethan and Aiden situation.”

Danny cringed at the memory of Theo, Ethan, and Aiden loudly congratulating each other on successful auditions on the way up to the list, only to find out the twins had been rejected. In hindsight, it was easy to see why, but that didn’t make it any better in the moment.

“While that was unfortunate, that was a year of very strong auditions…” Danny rolled his eyes at the compliment which could technically apply for both of them, but he knew Theo only meant to give himself. “And I think we can all agree this year, there weren’t many who stood a chance.”

Theo looked around for a reaction, something he could use, but Danny and Lydia were far too used to him. “I don’t know. I guess we’ll see.” Lydia said with a blithe smile that Danny replicated. They could sense Theo’s disappointment.

“Yeah, I mean, I guess Stiles was pretty good.”

Oh no, Danny thought.

“Wouldn’t you say, Danny?” Theo’s grinning face was nearly enough to make Danny break, but he found enough self control to stay neutral.

“Yeah, I think he was. Mr Hale’s call though.” Danny said, absent-mindedly fiddling with the bright red napkin underneath his utensils. Lydia gave him a sly nod.

Theo nodded. “Okay, well, I best get out of your hair. See you guys tomorrow.” He headed straight back to his table.

“Always a pleasure, Theo!” Lydia called after him as Danny waved. “What a dick.” She said, much quieter.

“Total asshole.” Danny agreed.

“But, my God, awesome voice.” Lydia said, before taking Danny’s hand. “Not as good as you, though.”

Danny blushed slightly, and shrugged it off with “Well, Mr Hale picks the solos, so let’s hope he thinks so.”

“Speaking of voices…” Lydia mused. “You complimented Stiles and your head didn’t explode. Proud of you.”

“Yeah, well…” Danny mumbled. “I figure if there’s one sound Stiles can make that doesn’t make me want to snap his neck, I might as well celebrate it.”

Lydia responded with a laugh edged with exasperation. “You’re ridiculous. But I love it.”

Danny looked past Lydia a moment and saw Theo glancing at him, a slight smirk. Danny bit his lip. How quiet had he just been? And if Theo heard, what would he do with that information?

Luckily, his roast beef arrived before he could overthink it too much. “Thank you,” he said to Scott as he set down his plate. “And I’m sorry.”

Scott smiled, handing Lydia her own plate. “It’s cool, man. I get it’s not fun being in a club with someone whose ‘neck you want to snap’” he ribbed, before heading back to the kitchen.

Well, that confirms it. Danny thought. If Scott heard me, Theo definitely heard me.

“Okay, so,” Lydia said, “which was the worst ‘Waving Through A Window’? For me, it’s got to be the guy who sang the entire thing through his nose.”

Danny chuckled, “A strong choice. But I don’t know, at least he got some of the notes right. That second guy sounded like he was trying to sing a totally different song.”

Lydia’s eyes lit up with the commencement of a good old fashioned audition roast. Danny had as much fun with it as he could, and tried to put off the thought of what rehearsals would be like tomorrow. Or the rest of the year, for that matter.


	3. Just Duet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave kudos and comments if you enjoyed, it would be much appreciated!

“Well, I guess it’s official.” Danny said dejectedly, staring straight ahead as he walked side by side with Lydia. Mr Hale always put up the list in alphabetical order, and sure enough, right under Scott was Stiles. The small number ‘14’ at the bottom indicated that Malia and that Hayden girl had also gotten a place.

Lydia leaned in closer, the clack of her high heels somehow audible over the bustling hallway, and hummed “Remember our deal, Danny. Three rehearsals. No bullshit. I’ll know.”

Danny tutted, but he was aware she was right. She did somehow always know if someone was bullshitting her. “Should I be concerned about the vague threat?” Allison joked, making Danny jump. Unlike Lydia, she could appear from nowhere. She intertwined her fingers with Lydia, who instinctively turned into a quick kiss.

“Not unless Danny breaks the rules he agreed to.” Lydia explained.

Allison quirked an eyebrow. “Did he agree by force? Because we’ve talked about that…”

“Of course not!”

“Danny?” Allison pushed, staring into his eyes.

“I mean, it wasn’t my idea…” Danny began, deliberately getting Lydia into a smidge of trouble before finishing with, “But trust me, it’s best for everyone.” Allison narrowed her eyes at Lydia, who smiled sweetly in response.

They walked through the door to the choir room, which seemed just a little bit brighter than the rest of the school, like someone turned the saturation up, and Danny paused in place for a few seconds in. He took a deep breath, looked around at the friends he’d gotten so close to, and thought: this is it.

Because it was.

The last first day of Glee Club.

The last time he’d walk in to see Boyd and Erica together, talking louder and standing taller than they did this time the previous year. The last time he’d see Lydia and Allison holding hands as they sat together and discussed what songs they’d like to perform that year. The last time he’d see Scott miss opportunities to kiss Kira because he kept making her laugh so much. He smiled, and tried to take in the moment, rather than miss it before it was even gone, as he sat in a green, plastic chair next to Mason. His eyes lit up as he saw who was next to him. “Danny! How’s it going, man?” Mason beamed, not hesitating a moment to pull Danny into a tight hug he gladly accepted.

“Pretty good, man, how about you?” Danny said as he let go. As Mason launched into an enthusiastic story about his Summer vacation to Bali, Danny spied Allison and Lydia looking and whispering from across the room and rolled his eyes. “What, am I boring you?” Mason accused.

Danny’s focus flipped back as he pointed to the less-than-subtle gossip mongers, who did nothing to hide their shame. “No, just the matchmaking service I didn’t sign up for.”

Mason laughed as he looked at them before turning back around. “Part of me wonders if we should just give them what they’re looking for.”

“But then we’d be letting them win.” Danny retorted. Mason nodded with a smirk as Mr Hale walked in the door.

“Okay, everybody listen up!”

The room was silent instantly, which made Hale smile.

“So, I think we can all agree yesterday brought us some very strong auditions…” Hale’s focus shifted from Scott to Danny to ensure no glances between them. “.. But here at Hill’s Harmonics, we pride ourselves on taking the best of the best. That’s why we’ve placed at Nationals two years running, and I don’t want to jinx it, but I think this could be the year we take the whole thing.” The room cheered, Scott slightly too loudly as was in his nature. “And as we say goodbye to some wonderful graduates, and transfers in the case of Mr Whittemore, we say hello to some amazing new members. So, for those of you who didn’t see the list, please welcome Malia, Hayden, and Stiles!”

Mr Hale spearheaded the clapping that welcomed in the embarrassed yet earnest newbies. Hale encouraged the group to mingle for a few moments while he finalised his plan for the day. The whiteboard read “DUETS” in blue, which had Danny hoping for the chance to sing with Kira he’d been angling for. She was one of the strongest choices for female lead, and Danny knew if he could show good chemistry with her, they could be front and centre all the way to Nationals. And really, who doesn't want to be the star in their final year?

Before any of that, though, Danny had some niceties to make, and luckily Stiles was walking towards him while Lydia was nearby. Danny gave a big smile, but not wide enough to be suspicious, and held out his hand for a welcoming shake. “Great to see you, man, congratulations.”

Stiles looked at the hand, then to Danny’s horror spread his arms wide. “Come on…” he hinted. “We’re teammates now!” He threw his arms around Danny, who recoiled slightly, but a warning glare from Lydia had Danny wrap himself just as tightly around Stiles. He noticed the cheap cologne Stiles had been drenching himself with since Freshmen year had been replaced by something much classier, subtler, and... sweeter. It occurred to Danny it might be strange to notice a change in scent of someone you dislike, but he figured he must have only picked up on it because his eyes weren’t watering the way they usually did when Stiles came by drenched in the old stuff.

Luckily, Stiles quickly moved along, and Danny got to introducing himself to the others. He congratulated a receptive Malia on her great audition, but got something of a cold shoulder from Hayden. She smiled, sure, but her eyes had a coldness behind the brown exterior that made a lot more sense when he saw her sit comfortably next to Theo. No doubt he’d already been smearing his competition for male lead.

After some standard warming up, splitting the group for harmonies, and doing some initial work on a song being considered for Sectionals, Mr Hale finally sat everyone back down to go over the assignment. “Now, some of you may have noticed the word ‘duets’ up here. All of you who are coming back have done a duet assignment in the past. Can anyone tell me why it’s so beneficial? Scott?” he called.

Scott sat up straighter and instantly started to worry, but soon an answer hit him. “Um, builds confidence.” He blurted out with a proud point of his finger.

Hale chuckled slightly. “Gliding on the surface a little there Scott, but correct nonetheless. Erica?”

Erica thought as she spoke, endearingly stilted. “Um… helps you to match pitch… because you have someone else to go off… and then also harmonies, which… pitching again.”

“Very good. Um…” Hale now began searching for a raised hand, which Theo instantly offered. Hale pointed to him. “Theo?”

“Helps you get used to singing and performing in a more vulnerable light with someone more experienced than you who can lead the way, and without all the pressure of a straight up solo.” Danny rolled his eyes at the answer so perfect it had to have been rehearsed.

Mr Hale nodded. “A pressure you seem almost addicted to, Theo.” He ribbed, gaining a laugh from the group and a twinge from Theo, before walking over to the aging piano and lifting a hat with scarce scraps of paper inside. “All correct, and that is why our first assignment will be for our three new members to perform a duet next rehearsal.”

The room oohed with anticipation as Hale shook the hat. “First up to choose is….” He picked a name as the room drum-rolled on their thighs then abruptly stopped. “Hayden Romero!”

The group cheered, and she barely hesitated. “I’ll take Theo.” She said simply, and got another clap.

Malia was next, and Danny silently hoped she’d choose him, because that would mean Stiles couldn’t. But no, she chose Allison, and looked her up and down just a little bit too much for Lydia’s liking. She took her girlfriend’s hand following a clap for Malia, just to set the boundary.

Stiles was next, and Danny remained calm on the outside, but inside he was praying Stiles would go with Scott, or Lydia, or hell, maybe Isaac, just anyone but...

“Danny.”

The group looked at him, and didn’t clap straight away. He smiled, forced his lips not to purse and said, “Sweet!” Which was not in his usual vocabulary, but it was enough to convince the club, who finally all clapped.

Stiles took a seat next to Danny as Hale concluded the lesson. Danny was sure he said what rooms were booked for their rehearsal, but the pit in his stomach drew his focus far enough that he didn’t hear.

“Danny?” Stiles said, snapping Danny out of his slight trance. He saw people getting their stuff together in preparation for leaving, then turned back to Stiles. “You ready to rehearse?”

“You know it!” Danny assured slightly too enthusiastically. Stiles seemed suspicious, but not enough to speak on it.

Danny followed Stiles, who was clearly paying better attention, to a room just across the hall. The other duet partners were a couple of doors apart from them, enough so they wouldn’t be heard. Danny had a thought that he could definitely hit Stiles for choosing him without being heard, but that would definitely defy their agreement. Instead he calmly closed the door and sat on a desk facing Stiles, who was wandering around just… touching things.

“So, be honest…” Stiles began, shifting his eyes to meet Danny’s while his hands still flipped book pages, drummed on desks, and caressed wall displays, “are you okay with being duet partners?”

Danny did his best ‘what do you mean’ face and said “Yeah, of course.”

Stiles let out a deep breath of relief and smiled. “Cool. Just cos… I don’t know, I sometimes kind of got the feeling that our play fighting was more, you know, real fighting on your end? Cos, you know, I have no issue with you, you know? I’m totally cool with you. You know?”

“Yeah. I know.” Danny assured. Stiles cartoonishly wiped sweat from his forehead, which was unnecessary. Danny chose to ignore it, and continued. “I’m sorry if I gave you that impression.”

Stiles shrugged, not quite as convincing as Danny hoped he was being. “Eh, don’t worry about it, I know I never did. You kn-“

“Yes.” Danny interrupted. “I know.” Stiles laughed in response, and Danny felt a tug at the corner of his lips that he didn’t have to force. Interesting, he thought. “So, got any ideas for songs?” Danny asked, bringing the focus back to their task. Stiles looked up, as if the perfect duet would be written on the ceiling, and made some obnoxious thinking noise. His hands were still doing a touching tour of the room. That was three annoying things at once, and Danny was still smiling. He hoped Lydia could somehow sense that.

“I don’t know, I don’t know many duets. At least not ones with two boys. Oh! There’s that one from Great-“

“No, please! Not the Greatest Showman!” Danny groaned impulsively, before worrying he’d just broken the rules. But thankfully…

“Oh, thank God.” Stiles replied. “I just said that cos I knew it, but I was really hoping you’d say no.”

Danny felt his fake smile relaxing more and more into a genuine one. “Well, you’re in luck. You know, it doesn’t have to be written as a duet? Or for two guys? It can be anything.”

Stiles’ eyes widened, as if Danny had just unlocked the secrets to the universe. “Huh. Sweet. Well, in that case…” Stiles jerkily shoved his hand in his pocket, ripped out his phone, unlocked it, and threw it haphazardly across the room. Danny had to jump off the table to catch it, and couldn’t help but shoot Stiles a scowl. He winced apologetically, before holding his hands up. “Hey, I’m always on the bench for a reason!” He defended. Danny felt like that response should have irritated him, as most of Stiles’ responses did, but that one washed over him. “Anyway, check my favourite songs list on Spotify. Maybe we can do a song we both really like.”

Danny scrolled for a second, before looking in surprise. “Hannah Montanna?” he questioned.

“Oh come on, try and tell me ‘Nobody’s Perfect’ isn’t better than anything the Beatles ever made.” Stiles challenged.

After thinking for a moment, Danny nodded. “Fair enough. But I’m going to say no to it as a duet.” He kept scrolling as Stiles feigned a blow to the chest. Another little Stiles thing that didn’t bother Danny. Either he was a great actor or… no, never mind. He somehow tripped over a chair and fell to the ground just walking around a classroom. He was just an idiot Danny was learning to deal with. Slowly. “Oh…” Danny said, spotting something that peaked his interest.

Stiles popped his head up as he rubbed the knee he’d just injured. “What?”

“Less I Know The Better. Good song.” Danny admitted. Stiles looked almost bashful.

“Thanks. Think it could work as a duet?”

“Sure. I’ll buy a karaoke track tonight, we can practice with one online for now.” Danny said.

“You’d buy me a karaoke track?” Stiles beamed, seeming genuinely touched at such a small gesture. At least he was easy to win over, Danny thought.

“Think of it as a welcome present.” He said. “Okay, let’s start splitting up the lines.”

Stiles couldn’t bring himself to stop wandering, and his focus didn’t stick around for long enough to actually help Danny split up the lines of the song, but practicing the singing went pretty well. They even got a couple solid harmonies in. The time ticked by, and Danny struggled to pry Stiles’ attention from the clock more and more. “Okay,” he said with a clap, the loud noise bringing his focus back for a moment, “We got the singing pretty much down. What about the staging? We thinking a dance steps, a couple moves, or more stationary?”

Stiles walked over to his bag and picked it up. “Eh, it’s getting late. I say we wing it.” He smiled.

“Wing it?” Danny whispered, the only way to stop himself yelling. Those words were not in his vocabulary. 'Winging it' didn’t take him to Nationals two years in a row, and it certainly wasn't going to give him a win this year. But Danny forced himself to breathe, tell himself Stiles would learn, and this was only a first assignment anyway. Which probably meant he should be trying harder, but nonetheless, he said “Okay, as long as you’re cool with that.”

Stiles nodded. “Sweet. This has been fun, man.”

Danny nodded, as they headed to the door. Could a nod technically qualify as a lie? It wasn’t fun, Danny thought, but it was much more bearable than expected. As they stepped outside, they heard two voices down the hall. They both looked to see Hayden and Theo, smiling and laughing. Theo spotted them, and Danny sensed trouble.

He sent Hayden to his car to wait, while he jogged down the hall to meet Danny and Stiles. “Hey, guys!” he said far too cheerily to have good intentions. “How’d rehearsals go?”

“Pretty good! How about you guys?” Stiles beamed.

Theo ignored Stiles’ question, and simply said “Wow, I’m glad.” Before turning to Danny and saying, “See? And you didn’t even snap his neck. Guess Lydia had nothing to worry about!”

Uh-oh, Danny thought as his stomach began to sink. He turned his face from Stiles, but he heard the missing grin in his voice. “Wh- What do you mean?” he asked.

“Well, I mean, I’m sure you clicked on that Danny-boy here isn’t your biggest fan. Or any fan at all, really. So Lydia made him promise to be nice, cos he wanted to ‘snap your neck’ or something, right Danny?”

Danny knew he couldn’t keep facing away, and turned to Stiles ready to defend himself, but the pissed and genuinely hurt expression he was met with froze him. “What the fuck, man?!” Stiles scolded. “I straight up asked you if there was a problem, you told me we were cool!”

“Stiles, I…” Danny began, but Stiles had already begun walking away.

“No, it’s cool. See you in glee club. Thanks for the karaoke track.” Stiles snarked, storming away.

“Oh, come on, Stiles, I’m sure he was kidding!” Theo called after him, sounding more mocking than anything else before his attention turned to Danny. He opened his mouth to speak, but Danny shoved him, knocking the air from his chest.

“Just fuck off, Theo.” He said nonchalantly, unwilling to show the guilt getting to him. But he definitely made sure to keep his distance from Stiles and keep his head down on the way to his car. Luckily, Theo was content enough with the damage he had done to stay silent.

Danny knew no matter how nice he was to Stiles at their next rehearsal, he’d never win him over. He supposed, at least, his deal with Lydia was off. It probably did more harm than the truth would have anyway. He just hoped whatever damage was done, things could at least be civil with Stiles after an apology. At this point, that was probably the best relationship he could hope for with him.


	4. Trying To Tame A Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know if you're enjoying by leaving kudos or a comment (or both if you're feeling generous). Enjoy!

The glow from through the choir room door usually seemed comforting. Like a lighthouse, or a beacon. But as Danny stared at it now, it seemed closer to a searchlight. And as soon as it found him, he’d need to deal with what happened with Stiles the other day.

“Danny?” came a voice that made him jump from his daze. He turned to see Mr Hale, looking concerned. “Everything alright? Not like you to just stand around with that blank look on your face. Your duet partner, maybe.” Mr Hale jested. He noticed Danny look down with a forced smile, and his brow crinkled with concern. “Did something happen with Stiles?” He enquired.

Danny swallowed and looked up at Mr Hale, hoping the nervousness he felt didn’t bleed into his face. “No, everything’s fine. Just… always kinda scary. That first performance of the year.”

Mr Hale nodded in understanding, if not quite belief, as an overfamiliar hand patted Danny on the shoulder.

“Best of luck for today, Danny-boy. Don’t expect Hayden and I to take it easy on you, though.” Theo said, a sick grin on his face as he released Danny's shoulder. As Theo moved inside, Hale caught the resentment on Danny’s face.

Mr Hale lowered his voice and spoke to Danny seriously. “Danny. If something bad happened, and Theo’s responsible, you know I will not let it fly.” He assured.

Already walking towards the door, Danny replied “Everything’s fine, honestly.” Not because it was, but because while what Theo did wasn’t cool, he didn’t force Danny to say those things. Or lie to Stiles, for that matter. That was all on him. And Theo knew that.

Danny spotted Stiles standing by the piano, terribly attempting a warm-up. Danny approached behind, and played a basic scale to help him out. Stiles’ mouth closed. He just turned and stared at him. Danny had never seen eyes so cold from Stiles. Not that he’d looked at them much. They were a deep brown, he now realised, and newly filled with anger. “Sorry, I was just trying to help.” Danny explained. A scoff was all Stiles had to offer in response as he moved away. Danny grabbed his arm, but it was immediately ripped away. “Stiles…” Danny pleaded.

“You could have apologised for anything you did yesterday, but you walked up, played a little… thing, and apologised for that instead.” Stiles laid out bluntly. Danny felt another surge of guilt, and the eyes of the club slowly starting to fall on them. A brief outward glance from Stiles said he was noticing the same thing. “Let’s just get this over with.” He muttered as he sat by Scott and Kira. Danny avoided anyone’s eyes as he took his usual place next to Mason.

“Trouble in paradise?” Mason joked.

Danny didn’t respond.

“Oh. That bad, huh?” He mustered a nod in response to that one. Mason put his arm around him protectively, and squeezed for a moment. “You’ll be okay, man.” And for a brief moment, he felt he would. But then reality set back in; he was going to have to perform this number, completely unstaged, in front of everyone. He leaned his elbows on his knees, and Mason knew to take his arm away.

The lead up to their performance was a nauseous blur. Allison and Malia did a lovely cover of ‘La Vie En Rose’ while holding hands, which seemed to have every muscle in Lydia’s body tense. Hayden took back seat to Theo in their big, theatrical rendition of some big theatrical song, though she didn’t seem to mind. Finally, he and Stiles were called. They walked up to the front in silence, facing anywhere but to each other, as Danny hesitantly plugged his phone into the speaker and pressed play on the track. He looked out to the group. The tension between he and Stiles had spilled out into the group. The only one still smiling seemed to be Theo, which Danny tried to ignore. The empty buzz before the music started ached on and on, Danny silently pleading for it to end until finally the first beat hit. It didn’t help. They stayed still. Continued looking out. The music intro also overstayed its welcome, as Danny awkwardly bobbed his head to the music, trying to will his body to move. It refused.

“Someone said they left together, I ran out the door to get her…” Stiles began, stepping forward slightly. Danny mirrored this when his time came to sing. It was going… fine. They were on beat, in tune but there was just... absolutely no positive charge between them.

Or any charge, really.

And it only got more and more obvious they had nothing prepared.

They ambled aimlessly around the space, singing perfectly well but with a clear edge of ‘please-let-this-be-over’ that the group was clearly seeing. They looked sympathetic, well, all but one, but they were clearly also hoping for it to end. Stiles made a deliberate point of looking at Danny once or twice when he sang “The less I know the better…” which Danny was sure everyone picked up on.

Danny didn’t even bother trying to hide the chagrin on his face by the end of the number. The song finally faded out on an at least tuneful harmony. The applause was more than scattered, but less than enthusiastic. Politeness mixed with clear discomfort.

“Boys, that was…” Mr Hale’s pause spoke volumes. “Very well sang! You chose a good song for your voices, it sounded great, but I think you could work on some… staging. And on-stage relationship. Er, but, good start! Let’s have a last round of applause for all our duets today.”

Disappointing Mr Hale at the very start of his senior year could have just screwed him for soloist picks at Sectionals. Just how Theo wanted, Danny was sure.

“Well, that’s today’s tasks done, so I think we can call things a little e-“

“Before we do, Mr Hale…” Theo interrupted, earning a warning look from Hale before he continued. “It’s the first Friday of Glee Club, we have some new members, and I think we should celebrate that.” He stepped down to the front, drawing the intrigue of the rest of the group. “My parents are gone for the night, and I say we have a party.” Save Danny and Stiles, the members of the club voiced excited agreement. “Awesome.” Theo continued with a wry smile, “Drop by any time after eight. Let’s start the year off right!”

Successfully inciting a cheer from the room, Theo went back to grab his bag and pried Hayden away from a conversation with Liam that had just made her gasp. “Don’t worry, I wont tell.” She whispered as she rushed to follow Theo out the door. Danny put on his worn wool coat and slung his bag across his shoulder, wondering what they were talking about, and just how long she could keep it from Theo. Stiles brushed past him without a word on his way out the door. Scott and Kira followed close behind, though they offered Stiles a sympathetic smile each on their way out.

“So, Danny!” he heard Allison say in a strangely enthusiastic voice. He turned around to see a forced smile below frustrated eyes. “You getting ready for the party with us tonight?” she seemed to almost insist. He looked to Lydia, who wasn’t trying so hard to seem okay, but nodded.

“Yeah, sure. I’ll swing by at, like, sev…” Allison shook her head. “Si…” She shook her head again. “I’ll grab dinner at the drive-through, grab some clothes from home, and get there as fast as I can?”

That finally gained a nod from Allison. “Well, if you insist. See you soon.” She said, emphasising ‘soon’. Danny watched them leave, and thought how strange it was to see Lydia and Allison not automatically link hands as they walked.

With a deep breath, Danny moved for the door. He couldn’t help but wonder what Theo had in store for the evening’s party, but whatever his plans, they were sure to be dangerous.


	5. Party Favour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! As I'm now back at college, updates might get a little less frequent, but I'm still committed to seeing this through to the end! If you're enjoying the story, a kudos or a comment goes a long way. Thank you for reading!

The taste of cheap potato chips and a weak rum and coke were a welcome distraction from Allison and Lydia’s argument that Danny’s presence did nothing to stop. They both had fair points: Lydia should be able to just trust Allison, but it was kind of disrespectful to hold hands and sing a love song with someone who isn’t your girlfriend. The assignment didn’t say it had to be romantic, after all. Thankfully. If anything could have made Stiles and Danny’s duet more awkward, it was that.

Danny looked around the room. Various people stood around the room in pairs, Scott with Kira, Theo with Hayden, Allison presumably with Lydia still fighting somewhere away from the living room, and Liam with Stiles strangely enough, making a lot of physical contact for two people Danny didn’t even know were friends. The rest of the club was sat in the horseshoe of black leather sofas by the TV. Danny decided to join them.

He jumped over the back of a couch and ended up landing in the seat next to Mason, who had just been cheered through chugging what looked to be a jug of amber liquid. The ring of cards with a small break in it answered Danny’s question before it left his lips. “Ring of fire already.” Danny remarked, impressed with the fervour of his friends.

“We all got something to drink, might as well take advantage of it!” Erica cheered, lying luxuriously on the central couch, which she alone was occupying, leaving Malia cross legged on the floor. She seemed comfortable enough, though. “Nice chugging, Mason, up for another game?” Erica offered.

Taking a moment to swallow a few more times, Mason finally responded “Only if one of you promises to lose.” Once he was sure he wouldn’t vomit in the middle of his sentence.

A chuckle made its way across the coffee table, which Danny saw was coming from Isaac. “You’re such a lightweight.” He teased.

Mason held up a finger in disagreement. “Lightweights get drunk fast. I don’t get drunk fast. I just hate drinking so much _so_ fast.” The small collective murmured agreements. Danny gently patted Mason’s back in an attempt to comfort him. It worked, and the other man looked up at him with appreciation.

“So, Danny,” Boyd said, drawing his focus. “Up for a game?” He had already started collecting everyone’s cards to shuffle back around the jug.

With a shrug, Danny plucked a card from Boyd’s hand and examined it. Three of clubs. “Three is me.” He said with a quick slurp of his drink, announcing his place in the game to applause from his friends.

Far too many rounds were played, but Danny only had to drink from the jug twice, which meant he wasn’t quite as sloppy as, say, the upside down Erica, who nearly choked trying to chug from that position. Twice. To his surprise, Danny was actually having fun. The music was good, he was spending some time with some friends he didn’t always get to speak to, and Theo hadn’t tried anything. Yet.

“You know, Danny,” Isaac began with a slur in his voice, “it’s not really fair that you got to join after all of us. When we were already drunk. You had a… a cognitive advantage!” he accused jokingly.

Erica laughed in response. “Yeah, why were you so late? Trouble in lesbian paradise?” Erica suggested, angling for some gossip. Malia shuffled uncomfortably in her seat.

“Erica…” Boyd warned, only half serious. It wasn’t like he wasn’t curious either.

Danny decided to do what he did best: deflect.

“Lesbian paradise? Isn’t that the website you got suspended for looking up on a school laptop?” he jabbed.

Erica’s mouth gaped, and the boys yelped with laughter. “No! Stop! It was a pop-up!” she insisted, falling into the laughing herself. They responded with a chorus of “oh, sure, it always is, I get that pop-up a lot too.” She rolled her eyes and stuck up her middle fingers, an amused smile still on her face.

Danny looked to the door, where Lydia had just come from. Her arms were crossed and her eyes looked glassy and wet. Danny couldn’t help but glance at Malia, who caught his eye then looked away with some clear guilt. Allison followed through the door soon after, and approached Danny, crouching next to him. “I’m really sorry about all that.” Allison sighed. “I don’t know why I thought I could avoid that fight. I’m sorry I dragged you into it.”

To stem the tears forming in her eyes, Danny held her hand and looked at her softly. “Allison, it’s fine. Don’t make yourself more upset. Are you two going to be alright?”

Allison’s sigh said she was unsure, but she smiled and nodded nonetheless. The lights dimmed low without warning, and Danny looked around to see who was messing with the switch. Theo, of course. “Well, now that the gang’s all here…” he began threateningly as he walked towards the couches. “.. I say we all join our significantly drunker friends over here and play a good old fashioned game of truth or dare.”

A mix of unenthusiastic groans and excited oohs filled the air, but ultimately no one felt like being the odd one out, so they all fell in. Danny squeezed up closer to Mason, who didn’t seem to mind, so Allison could fit on the couch. Lydia looked as though she might approach the arm rest next to Allison for a seat, but ultimately chose a spot next to a now upright Erica. One by one, they all filed in, until the game was ready to start. Stiles was sat almost directly opposite Danny, meaning there would be a lot of neck craning to avoid unnecessary eye contact. And at this point, all eye contact was unnecessary. “Any volunteers to start?” Erica offered to the room. Hesitation barely had time to hang in the air before Scott stuck his hand up, earning a respectful cheer from his friends.

“Okay, Scott, truth or dare?” Erica asked.

He bit his lip in consideration before blurting out “Truth.”

Eyes glanced around the room to see who would set the tone for brutality of the truths. Finally, Isaac spoke up. “Ooh, I know!” he buzzed, slapping his hands down on the wood-framed glass coffee table hard enough to draw a worried look from Theo. Danny couldn’t help but smile at that. “If you weren’t with Kira, which other member of the Harmonics do you think you’d be with?”

The room collectively held its breath, knowing things were about to become really fun or unbearably awkward. Scott’s unphased expression did nothing to quell anyone’s fear, least of all Kira. “Well, first of all, Isaac, you had your shot two years ago so don’t think I’m picking you.” The group laughed, sorely relieved that Scott was making sure things stayed light-hearted. “Er, I don’t know. I don’t think about other people.” He continued, earning adoring looks from everyone, especially Kira. It wasn’t an uncommon line, but Scott’s earnest tone said it wasn’t a line, that was really just how he felt. Danny caught Lydia and Allison trying and failing not to make unwanted eye contact, while Malia sat on cautiously sipping from her red cup. Scott continued, “I’m going to go with Mr Hale, I know he's not technically a Harmonic, but he's part of the team, and... I mean, holy shit, he’s hot.”

The rest of the room hummed longingly at the thought of their beautiful, bearded coach, save the small pocket of people solely attracted to women consisting of Lydia, Boyd, and presumably Malia given how her facial expression matched the others. “Okay, who’s next?” Scott challenged. Theo raised his hand, and Scott pointed to him. “Theo, truth or dare.”

“Truth.” He said with a smile. Instinctively, Danny’s eyes narrowed, convinced this was part of a plan.

“Ooh! Ooh!” Erica piped up, nearly rising to her feet. “If not you, who do you think should be male lead if- or should I say, when- we get to Nationals?”

Now that was a challenge. Getting Theo to say something genuinely nice about his competition. He looked around the room, and his eyes settled on Danny. Then he said, “Scott.”

Danny didn’t miss a beat shifting his focus to a flattered Scott, and saying “Yeah, you’d kill it, man.”

A hand held to his chest in mock surprise yet genuine appreciation, Scott basked in the shower of kind words he was receiving on his singing. It was true. Scott was one to watch, and everyone knew it. Danny wanted the solo spot badly, but he knew Scott was more than deserving, and could bring them home the win. As long as it wasn’t Theo, which unfortunately was a significant possibility, he’d be happy.

“Okay, back to the game.” Theo commanded. “I’m going to choose someone to go next, if everyone’s alright with that?” The group were confused, but none had any real reason to object, and motioned for him to go ahead. Danny was getting that twitchy feeling, and hoped to God the name out of his lips wouldn’t be his. “Okay, I choose… Liam.”

Slightly taken aback, the group turned to Liam, who was equally confused. Theo barely registered Liam’s existence for two years, yet here he was singling him out. The shifty eyes from Hayden as she unsuccessfully attempted nonchalance brought Danny back to the choir room. Now things were starting to come together. But knowing a couple of ingredients doesn’t mean you know the recipe. When it came to Theo, people learned that the hard way. “Um… okay, truth.” He muttered awkwardly.

“Oh, come on! Three truths in a row? Why don’t you shake it up, man?” Theo encouraged. Everyone could tell this was going somewhere devious. Hayden looked like she wanted to speak, but never quite managed to.

A look to each side, and a shift in his seat later, Liam decided to bite. “Fine. Dare.” He said, carefully.

Theo smiled like a spider with a fly in its web. “Attaboy.” He congratulated. “I dare you… to kiss the person at this party you have a crush on.”

A silence went on slightly too long.

“Oh, come on, are we twelve at our very first sleepover?” Lydia mocked with a roll of her eyes, drunken confidence growing as she polished off a cup of something Danny didn’t see her pour.

Erica fired back, “Judging how drunk you’re getting off one hard lemonade, I think we might be.” Lydia took the loss and joined in the laughter of the group, but soon the attention fell back on Liam, who hadn’t even chuckled. He was trying hard not to glare at Hayden, who was trying just as hard not to be caught in his headlights. “What if I don’t have a crush on anyone here?” he asked hopelessly.

It did nothing to deter Theo. “Well, then, you wouldn’t have to kiss anyone. But we’re all here. We’re all a little buzzed. Some maybe too much, so I wouldn’t plant one on Erica. But everyone else is fair game. Worse comes to worst, you get to kiss them, and at least you know. Best case scenario, you might leave tonight’s party with a brand new boyfriend… or girlfriend.”

An idiot could work out what was happening here. Theo knew exactly who Liam liked, and Liam was being offered two choices: say it himself, or have it said for him. He was trapped. And so he stood, a visible shake in his body. He walked around the table he was sat behind, passing Malia, Isaac, Boyd, and finally landing by…

“Stiles.” At Liam’s utterance of his name, Stiles stood, just as dumbstruck as Liam was. “I… just…” Words betrayed Liam, and so he lifted his hands to wrap around the nape of Stiles’ neck, and began to pull their heads together. Something in Danny started to itch. His mind tried to comprehend the anger prickling through his body as they moved ever closer together, beginning to tilt and let their eyes lid over. Was it because he was angry at Theo for exposing Liam? Was it because he was angry at Stiles for not hearing him out? Was it because he was angry at Liam for not standing up to Theo’s games? None of those things tapped into the force that was tightening Danny’s fists, and he failed to understand his ire before Stiles and Liam’s lips met. Then broke. Then met again, much longer, to the applause and cheers of his friends. “You’re welcome, Liam!” Theo yelled, ensuring he took all the credit for this oh-so-romantic moment.

Danny didn’t know why the sight of Stiles gripping Liam’s arms and pulling him closer had him grimacing so openly, but his friends were starting to notice. And they weren’t happy. "Dude, you okay?" Mason asked. Danny couldn't respond.

Leaving seemed like the best option, and so sneakily as possible he removed himself from his seat and headed for the living room door. Before he left, though, he couldn’t stop himself turning to look at Stiles and Liam one more time. At the exact moment he looked, Stiles’ eye had opened and it caught his almost instantly. The anger from that afternoon had already returned to his gaze when Danny whipped his head back around to continue walking.

“Danny, where you going?” Theo announced, less of a question and more of a ploy to draw attention to Danny’s hasty exit.

“Bathroom.” He replied simply. He headed out into the hall and reached for the second silver handle he saw.

“Danny-“ he heard Stiles say as he swung the door open, followed by a thwack and a cry. Danny quickly closed the door to see Stiles holding his face in pain. “Dude, you swung that so hard!”

Overcome with guilt, but unsure what to do to help, Danny just said “Shit, Stiles, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were there-“

“I don’t care!” Stiles interrupted harshly. Danny was surprised at his intensity. “I don’t care about that, I just want to know what your fucking problem is with me! I mean, Jesus Christ, I’ve been nothing but nice to you since we met, and all you do is throw it back in my face!”

“That’s not true.”

“Yes it is!”

“No, it’s not!” Danny insisted, taking control of the conversation, much to Stiles’ surprise. “Stiles, I don’t try to be a dick to you, I'm sorry I am sometimes, but most of the time I try to ignore you, cos plain and simple, you just piss me off! You’re loud, you’re childish, and you’re just fucking annoying! And I don’t have to like you just because you’re nice to me!”

“What the hell is going on out here?” Liam demanded, storming in, while the rest of the crowd stood by the doorway. He saw Stiles cradling his face, made a connection he didn't know was false, then turned to Danny with rage filled eyes. He grabbed him by his collar and pushed him hard against the wall. “What did you fucking do?!” The two fists pushing into his throat stopped him replying as he tried to shove Liam away from him. Liam continued to scream in his face as he started feeling faint to feel faint, silently begging someone to get Liam off of him.

“Liam, stop! It was an accident!” Stiles insisted, trying to wedge himself between them. His foot against the wall for leverage, he gave a great shove into Liam which finally succeeded in separating him from Danny. “He didn’t mean it! He opened the door, and it hit me! It was just a mistake!” Stiles repeated as Liam started to simmer.

Danny turned to see the shocked and dismayed faces of his friends.

Theo’s face was chillingly neutral. “I think you should go, Danny.”

Silence hung in the air. No one objected. Danny stared at his friends, many at least somewhat sympathetic, but a few simply appalled.

He had never been so embarrassed in his life. Fighting with Stiles in front of all his friends, then getting attacked by that meathead, Liam. Swallowing painfully, he blinked away the dampness in his eyes and backed away towards the front door. “I think I should.” He uttered, a slight break in his voice halfway through. He closed the door hard behind him and headed for home on foot.

He breathed hard, muscles painfully tense, and at some point the tears he thought he’d fought back had dripped down onto his face, chilled by the cold September air. He had just argued with a teammate, nearly ended up in a fight, and left without even asking Lydia how she was doing. What kind of friend was he? What kind of teammate was he that he couldn’t even be happy for two of them getting together? Though that thought still made him shiver.

Whatever was going through his head tonight besides cheap rum, it had certainly altered his friends’ opinion of him. And he didn’t really know what to do to win back that trust. He looked like an idiot. And he felt the same.

At least, Danny thought, a solo at sectionals was now the least of his concerns.


	6. Leader Of The Pack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please kudos and comment if you're enjoying.

Convinced half of the club hated him, turning up to rehearsals was getting harder and harder for Danny. Weeks went by, and the thought of everyone looking at him disdainfully just outside his vision never seemed to go away. Especially when he knew for a fact Liam was, after catching him more than a few times. Stiles refusing to even look at Danny was never something he thought could be anything but positive, but he found himself missing the days where Stiles would make inane comment after inane comment to him. At least back then the worst Danny felt in glee club was irritated.

And now, he had to perform a solo against Isaac, Scott, and of course, Theo to decide who would be male lead at Sectionals.

Fantastic, Danny thought. A literal popularity contest.

Hands bound around themselves, Danny stared at the floor of the choir room, his earbuds blasting ‘Santa Fe’ into his ears, in theory going over the song, but in practice an attempt to block out the rest of the world. He looked up when he saw a pair of heels pass through the doorway, closely followed by a pair of black boots. Lydia was on her way over to him, a mellow smile on her face. Allison continued over to her seat, which Danny noticed, but decided not to ask about. They were trying to ignore their argument from before the party, and Danny thought if they believed enough people believed they were fine again, maybe they would too.

“Hey, Danny.” Lydia greeted, which Danny only caught the end of as he pulled out one earbud. She handed him a pink metallic thermos. He accepted, it into his hands, slightly confused. “Honey and lemon. Served warm.” She explained with a wink.

Without a word, Danny pulled her in for a tight hug. He had done the same thing the week prior when female leads auditioned. Danny’s vote wasn’t quite enough to push her over the edge, but he’d been trying harder to show his appreciation for her. Of course, Lydia needed no such guilt to propel her into being a great friend. “You’re the best.” He told her.

“Yeah, you’re pretty lucky.” She shrugged, continuing with “Kidding. Break a leg, Danny.” Once Danny had laughed, though really she didn’t need to be kidding. She then leaned closer to his ear. “And put Theo in the fucking ground.” That was an order. They shared a devious smile as she sat down by her girlfriend. Allison fumbled with her hand for a moment before their fingers interlocked.

“Okay,” Mr Hale said, bursting into the room and taking his place by the piano. “Male soloists, this is your day. Come down front.” Following a swig of honey and lemon, Danny, along with Scott, Isaac, and Theo, headed to the front with applause from their peers egging them on. Scott threw his arms a little too hard around Isaac and Danny’s shoulders, earnestly wishing them luck. Feeling thankful for the support, Danny hugged into him from the side, an action Isaac followed. Having Scott and Lydia on his team was the push Danny needed, and he was determined to at the very least show the rest of the club that he may have made some mistakes, but that didn’t change the fact he could sing.

The four men stood in a line facing the rest of their friends as Mr Hale went through the standard pre-audition ramble. The song you sing today won’t be the song you sing at the competition, you’re all talented so don’t be downtrodden if you don’t get the amount of votes you want, voting is professional not personal, and anyone not present that day, meaning Hayden in this case, had given up their right to vote. Danny had heard it all before, and having won his Sophomore sectionals after getting the solo in a competition just like this put him in good stead. It just depended how his teammates would vote, and given how good all of them were, it was really anyone’s game.

Soon, things started, with Theo immediately opting to go first. Obviously. He blasted through a pretty but emotionless rendition of “Corner Of The Sky.” But Danny couldn’t deny he had a great voice, and he was aware being so dead-set against him made him far less impartial. He looked out to the audience and hoped they were feeling the same. People were smiling, but not so enthusiastically. For a brief moment, he made eye contact with Stiles, whose smile immediately dropped. Danny lowered his gaze for the rest of the number.

A quick applause and change-over later, Scott put himself forward. As he expertly guided himself through the performance space singing a fiery cover of “Holiday”, Danny watched in disbelief knowing Scott didn’t even really realise he was good until halfway through Junior year. He was well known for being their strongest rock tenor to everyone but himself, but as soon as he was told, he just got even better. It was the kind of confidence that fuelled a performance instead of deflating it. He started strong and finished stronger, to rapturous applause.

Isaac stepped up next, and Danny was starting to panic. Thinking too much about his look with Stiles, his guilt over the party, what his classmates would think of him even trying out for a solo, and he wondered if he should just sit down. But then he looked to Lydia, who gave him a sly thumbs up, and Scott who gave him a wink and a smirk, and reminded himself he wasn’t alone. Then he remembered he had every right to try out. Then he remembered how hard he’d worked the past four years, and that if he got this, he would deserve it. And he held onto that as Isaac began his song. A rendition of “Unforgettable” that captured the room. His rich bass notes and lighter baritone were absolutely gorgeous to Danny, and the grins plastered around the room agreed. He and Scott shared a prideful look thinking about how far he’d come. Freshmen Year, he tried to sing some high pop song and didn’t even get in. Year after that, he barely scraped through with a song much kinder to his lower range, though he still had a somewhat weak voice. But ever since then, he’d pushed himself hard every single rehearsal, and no doubt outside of them, to nurture his voice into something smooth and beautiful. And here he was, a legitimate contender for a solo. Danny joined the rest of the room in smiling the whole way through and cheering loud at the end.

His smile faded fast as he stepped forward from the line Isaac had just re-joined. His music started to play, and everyone looked at him, some smiling, some neutral, some like they had made up their mind already. His knees felt weak, and the tremble in his gut moved up through his body and wrapped around his throat. He wondered if his voice would even come out. He took a steady breath in, and opened his mouth.

“Folks, we finally got our headline, newsies crushed as bulls attack…” he sang. His voice trembled for a moment, and Danny thanked God that worked with the song. He focused on the words, his breath, his voice, and let the room around him fall away. Years of rehearsal and club drama taught him how to shut out the world once he was singing. It was just starting that was hard.

Moving around the space, Danny let himself connect with the words through his face, through his body, while keeping keenly aware of his own voice. This was his senior year, and he had to give it everything.

It was all building up to that note at the very end. He knew it was coming, planted his feet, prayed to God he didn’t crack, and went for it.

He did it.

He got it.

And as the music faded out and his mouth closed, the entire room applauded him. Shaking, he bowed his head appreciatively and stepped back into line. As the room finally quietened down, Mr Hale went around handing everyone small scraps of paper. They were told to sit back down before they wrote out their vote. Danny turned to give Scott and Isaac congratulatory smiles, which they returned, and in the spirit of competition, turned to give a respectful nod to Theo. He scanned Danny up and down, but eventually returned the gesture.

Decisions seemed to be made quickly as the sound of scribbling of pencil on paper disappeared as soon as it happened. Danny wondered if that was bad for him. He wrote down his own name quickly, as he was sure the other boys were doing as well. No one wants to be left without a single vote, after all.

As Mr Hale’s trusty decision hat was passed around the room, and the scraps of paper fell in. Taking the hat and turning away to count the votes, Mr Hale still enforced silence. Knowing who voted for who before it was announced was strictly forbidden, though of course they would all find out sooner or later. As he was turned around, Mason took the opportunity to mouth “I voted for you.” To Danny. Danny smiled, and mouthed back “Thank you.” One fist bump later, they were back to acting natural.

Mr Hale took his time to carefully double-count the votes, make sure all thirteen were there, before finally turning back around. Everyone instinctively sat forward in their seat. “Fantastic job to all four of you. Really, you all gave something wonderful there.” Mr Hale said, with genuine appreciation that was touching but frustrating in its delay of the results. “You’re all very talented singers and performers. You’d all make great soloists. But there can be only one. So, with that in mind, Theo. You received one vote. And that’s something to be proud of. You’re a very strong, very professional performer, and if this vote was you, that’s self belief you should carry with you to the Regional auditions. And if it’s not, someone else in here has that faith in you. And they’re right to. Everybody, hands together for Theo.”

They all cheered for Theo. Danny expertly hid a smirk as he looked back and saw him feigning humble acceptance at what was likely his own vote being the only one he received, given that Hayden wasn’t there to back him up. Though Danny was worried about Theo winning before, it was clear why he didn’t. Theo was really talented, but he knew it too well. Danny wondered if the results would be different had he actually tried, or if he’d pissed enough people off that it didn’t matter anyway.

“Up next, Isaac. Two votes. Isaac, I think I speak for all of us when I say I’m really proud of you. You’ve grown so much in such a short space of time, and I can’t imagine this team without you. Everybody, big cheer for Isaac.” Everyone clapped and whooped for Isaac, who seemed to be getting a little bit misty, as Boyd and Erica wrapped their arms around him.

Once the moment had passed, the reality of the situation began to set in. Danny had actually made it to the final two. It was either him or Scott. “In second place…” Mr Hale began, intentionally drumming up tension. Danny swallowed hard, and stared straight at his teacher. Finally, he let it out. “.. Scott McCall, with four votes.”

A big cheer rang out, half for him and half for Scott, and Danny just sat with his jaw dropped. He gave it everything, but after all that had happened, he didn’t really think he’d win, let alone against Scott. “Scott, you did a wonderful job. It may not have happened for you this time, but you’re such an important part of the Hills Harmonics, not just for your voice, but for your spirit, your dedication, and your leadership. Everybody, let’s hear it for Scott!”

As the rest of the team cheered, Danny and Scott shot over to each other for a tight embrace. “And of course, that means with six votes, our winner is Danny. You left it all up on that stage today, and I am very excited to see you and Kira take the lead when we take home our first win of the year at Sectionals!”

That got the biggest and longest cheer of the day, with everyone jumping out of their seats, half in team mania and half because they knew Mr Hale was about to call rehearsals for the day, which he almost immediately did.

On her way out the door, Kira poked Danny on the shoulder to get his attention. “Hey, partner.” She said excitedly.

“Nice cowboy impression.” Danny replied, which earned him a laugh. As they spoke, people patted Danny on the shoulder and congratulated him as they left. “For real, though, I’m really excited to sing with you.” he continued.

Kira nodded. “Same here. It’s been a long time coming.” She beamed, which flattered Danny. It seemed like she was as excited about working together as he was. “Well, Mr Hale should be sending out the songs pretty soon, so we could start rehearsing after club meetings as soon as he does?” she offered.

“Absolutely!” Danny responded, a little too loud and a little too quick, though her laugh said she appreciated the energy.

“Awesome. I better catch up with Scott. See you later!” She waved as she headed out the room. Danny finished putting his coat on and throwing his bag on his back, when he suddenly noticed the shoes of another person next to him. With how dirty and beat-up they were, it could only be one person.

“Hey,” said Stiles, “congrats on your big win.”

Danny looked up at his face, which seemed to be genuinely pleased for him. Danny struggled to respond for a moment, but finally said. “Thank you.”

A silence hung between them for a little too long. Danny turned to leave, hoping things could end on this positive if not slightly awkward note, but Stiles blurted out “I voted for you.” That stopped Danny in his tracks.

“Me?” Danny asked. Stiles nodded to reassure him. “But… why?”

Stiles stepped a little bit closer to Danny, which he found odd, but not off-putting enough to step back. “You were the best one up there, and I wanted to be honest. Look, I know things got kind of… heated last time we talked. But hey, it was one stupid night, and all of my bruising’s gone down…” perhaps for the first time, Stiles got a genuine laugh out of Danny, but it was one laced with guilt. Stiles continued, “And I was just thinking if we’re going to be on the same team, it’s probably for the best if we can just be… not friends, but… okay. You know?”

Danny breathed out slowly. “Yeah.” he said softly, with a slight nod. “I know. I think that sounds good." Danny offered his hand for Stiles to shake. Stiles looked at it, satisfied enough, and gave it a shake. Then his hand didn’t move. It stayed loosely wrapped around his, and Danny wondered why, before realising his own hand wasn't moving.

Their eyes met, mutually confused, before a voice rang out through the room. “Nice to see you two making up.”

Theo. Shit.

“… Right, Liam?”

And of course. Of course he brought Liam. 

Danny and Stiles released each other’s hands and turned to see Theo standing at the doorway with a smile, and behind him, a visibly concerned Liam. Stiles glanced at Danny, then stepped towards his boyfriend. “Hey, babe. Ready to go?”

“Yeah.” He said softly. “Been ready for a while now.”

Stiles sighed. “I’m sorry.”

“What for?” Liam accused looking between Stiles and Danny, before turning and leaving. Stiles chased after him with a frustrated call of his name.

Theo’s focus shifted back to Danny as he raised his eyebrows. “Does he have something to be sorry about?”

Danny stared at Theo for a few seconds, exhausted with these games already, before simply saying “Bye, Theo.” And pushing past him with a deliberate shoulder check. The slight grunt of pain from the other man gave him a little bit of joy as he headed down the already empty corridor. Stiles must have had to run chasing after Liam, he thought.

This wasn’t good, and he knew it. Theo was getting sneakier, and not getting male lead after the games he already played will have only told him one thing: he needs to play harder, and better. Danny had to look out, and he knew it. Between now and sectionals, anything could happen. And Sectionals was still only the beginning.

And to think.

Danny thought his senior year would be peaceful.


	7. Enemies Close

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! Next Chapter is the first big milestone and I'm very excited to tackle Sectionals. If you're enjoying, please comment and leave kudos! Hope you enjoy :)

Arms theatrically outstretched, the Hills Harmonics held their final harmony to absolute perfection, until Mr Hale signified to finish with a close of his hand into a fist. “That was incredible!” he said, applauding his beloved glee club as they breathed hard, sat, or drank water. “I know Sectionals is never really a concern for us, but if we keep pushing that hard, I can’t think of a Glee Club in the country that can stop us.”

“What about the five that placed above us at Nationals last year?” Erica joked.

The room booed her playfully until Mr Hale quietened them with another gesture. “No, no, Erica’s right. I shouldn’t be getting cocky. We’re doing really well, but we are yet to become National Champions, and I know for a lot of you it’s your last chance. With the way we’re pushing now, I think we can get there, but we can’t get comfortable for even a second.”

The group looked around at each other, nodding with determination.

“Before we finish for the week, let’s all give a hand to Malia for going the extra mile by creating and teaching what I think is our best choreo yet, and your lead soloists, who have been setting a great example by doing extra rehearsal every week, let’s give them a hand.” Mr Hale led the group in celebrating Malia, Danny and Kira, who accepted it bashfully. Danny and Stiles ended up looking straight at each other for most of the applause, much to Liam’s dismay. Things between them had been much smoother since they spoke, but there was this uneasiness between them, which Danny knew Stiles was feeling too. Not that they could really talk about it without Liam nearly bursting into flames if they so much as said hello to each other. “And let’s give ourselves a hand for being stage-ready with still a week to go until Sectionals!” Yet another, louder cheer broke out, and Danny pondered if it was narcissistic to be constantly applauding themselves so much.

Sure, confidence is great, but we do it a _lot_ , he thought, beginning to put on his coat.

“Hey, not so fast, we’re not done yet.” Everyone paused in place as Mr Hale began his unexpected delay. “As we all know, building a team dynamic is one of the most important parts of a successful group. I know that _most_ of you get along well…” he said pointedly, but looking at no one in particular. “But it’s important that we’re all building connections, and so next week on the way to and from Sectionals, I am assigning you bus buddies. People you’ll sit next to, and hopefully build a better bond with.”

Danny looked around to make sure everyone was as confused as he was. They were. This was strange. And usually ‘strange’ meant phase one of a Theo plan. Mr Hale grabbed his clipboard from off the piano and looked down at it.

“Lydia and Mason. Theo and Scott. Erica and Liam. Boyd and Allison. Isaac and Malia. Kira and Hayden. Danny and Stiles. Okay, and that’s all for today, see you all next week.” Mr Hale dismissed abruptly.

Confusion sat in the room as people left silently, or muttering to someone else quiet enough that Mr Hale wouldn’t hear. It wasn’t a bad thing, necessarily, just odd. And for Danny to randomly end up seated with Stiles? No. Something was up. Danny walked over to Kira, who had just kissed Scott goodbye. “Hey, Kira, can you start without me? I want to talk to Mr Hale for a sec.”

Without asking the question that was clearly in her head, she nodded and headed for the door. “Sure. See you soon.” And with that, she was gone. It was just Danny and Mr Hale, who was tidying and ordering sheet music.

“Not negotiable, Danny. You’re sitting with Stiles.” he said, eyes still trained on his papers.

Danny strode up to the piano, meeting Mr Hale’s bluntness with his own. “Theo suggested this, didn’t he?” The sigh Mr Hale let out told Danny all he needed to know. “Come on, Mr Hale. You know he’s up to something!” Danny insisted.

Mr Hale turned around with a stern glare that instantly shrank Danny. “Maybe he is. But the fact he thinks you just sitting with Stiles on a bus for twenty-five minutes is enough to cause a problem is exactly why I did it.”

Danny’s brow furrowed. “He actually suggested I sit with Stiles? Specifically Stiles?” he questioned, without the strength he held prior to Hale’s intense stare.

“Yes, he did.” He replied simply. “And I agree with him. Do you think I didn’t pick up whatever behind-the-scenes drama you and Stiles had in your duet a few weeks ago? And pretty much every rehearsal since?” Danny shuffled awkwardly in place and struggled not to avert his gaze from his teacher. “You’re a great performer, Danny. And you have it in you to be a great leader.” He continued, much softer now, helping Danny look him in the eye comfortably again. “But letting personal issues come before the team is exactly the kind of thing that’s going to stop you reaching that potential. So, come on. Show me the man I know you can be.”

Danny didn’t know if it was Mr Hale’s authority, his well-reasoned arguments, or the fact that looking straight at him this long had been a welcome reminder of how attractive he was, but he was finding it very difficult to say no to him. “Okay. You’re right.” He admitted. “I’ll try harder.”

Mr Hale smiled gratefully as he grabbed his coat. “Thank you. I knew I could count on you.” He said, heading for the exit. The tap of his shoes abruptly stopped just a few steps outside the door. “Oh, hello, Hayden. Were you waiting for me?”

Danny’s eyes narrowed. Hayden just waiting outside class? Something wasn’t right. And considering her usual company, Danny could guess what. After she had waved Mr Hale off with an excuse about getting caught up typing a message, Danny sped outside the choir room and stood in front of her before she could speed off down the hall. She looked up, scowling with defeat.

“What the hell are you doing?” Danny insisted. She had clearly made up her mind on Danny despite the fact they’d barely spoken, and she wasn’t about to give him information at the drop of a hat. “Well? Theo send you? He get you tell him Liam liked Stiles too?” That caught her attention. “Yeah. Small choir room. Sound travels. But I guess you know that, huh?”

With a grunt of exasperation, Hayden moved around him. Danny turned her back around by the shoulder. “Don’t touch me!” she barked.

“Um, don’t spy on me!” Danny retorted.

“Look, I know you hate Theo, cos, I don’t know you’re scared he’ll take your solo or something, but he’s actually a nice guy. He likes to do things for people.” She said combatively. As she tried to walk away again, Danny followed her.

“He likes to control people and fuck with them! And you’re letting him!” Danny accused.

“By getting Liam and Stiles together? By not letting you lie about being cool with Stiles?”

“By causing a fight that involved me? By causing a fight that involved me?” Mocking her was enough to make her turn back around, and nearly enough to smack Danny, but she thought better of it.

She huffed. “You just don’t get it. It's not all about you, it’s for the good of the team. All that stuff was going to get out sooner or later. If he knows what’s going on, he can get it out in the open before it builds up and…”

“He’s using you, Hayden. He uses everyone. It’s nothing but a game for him, and if it means winning, he’ll turn on you just as fast.”

Defiantly shaking her head, Hayden stormed away. “Whatever. Leave me alone.”

“Gladly.” Danny called after her, as he turned back to head to he and Kira’s rehearsal room. He swung the door open wide, maybe a little too hard, to be greeted with Kira’s beautiful voice practicing her solo. Danny instantly felt the muscles in his face relax and his shoulders drop. He gently put his bag and jacket on a table so he wouldn’t disturb her, and hummed his backing harmonies quietly.

When she finished the song, Danny gave her an enthusiastic clap. She turned with a thankful grin. “Thanks for letting me finish. How’s it sounding?”

“Amazing!” Danny blurted excitedly. She looked almost embarrassed. “Just hope I can measure up.” He admitted.

She rested a hand on his shoulder. “Well, if it’s any consolation, I’m hoping the same thing.” She beamed. Breathing out slowly, Danny thought how lucky he was to have a partner like Kira. “So, what kept you? If you don’t mind me asking.”

Danny pondered lying, but wondered why he should. He supposed Hayden got his guard up. “I was talking to Mr Hale about the whole bus buddies thing.” He admitted.

The nod she returned him said she knew exactly what they were discussing. “How you feeling? I know you and Stiles aren’t exactly… close.” She put delicately.

Danny chuckled. “That’s one way to say it. We’re…” Danny thought about his relationship with Stiles for a moment. “We’re okay. I guess. I think. But it’s not easy to be okay with him, you know? He’s trying and I’m trying but… there’s something about him, you know? Something that makes talking to him or, hell, looking at him so… annoying.”

A laugh escaped Kira, then a moment of silence came. Danny looked at her curiously. She took a while to decide whether she'd ask the question she was mulling over, but she eventually did. “You know, sometimes when people have such a strong reaction to another person, it’s… kind of the opposite of the feeling they think it is. Do you think, maybe, that’s what’s happening here?”

His jaw dropped. Was she serious? Danny’s mind was yelling no with about ten different emotions, none positive, but his body wouldn’t let a single one escape. He just stared, wide eyed at a usually intelligent Kira implying he was into Stiles and wondered how she'd gotten this so far off. If this was a crush, love must be the worst thing you can feel for a person. “Nuh- Nah, nah, no. No. No…” Danny stuttered. The sheer thought of feeling anything but dislike and frustration for Stiles was overloading his circuits, though Kira seemed doubtful of his denial. “I’m serious, no!”

“Are you sure?” she teased.

“Seriously Kira, drop it.” Danny barked, roughly cutting her off. Danny asked himself where that came from. “I’m sorry. I’m- that was… rude, I’m really sorry.”

“It’s fine. I’m sorry too.” She assured him. “I shouldn’t have pried. Besides, we have solos to worry about. Not boys.”

Danny snickered. “How would Scott feel if he heard you say that?”

“Hey, he wants to win just as much as me.” Kira said. “He told me that was why he voted for you.”

Wait, what? Danny thought. His confusion clearly read on his face, as Kira looked concerned.

“You okay?” she inquired.

“Scott voted for me?”

Kira looked puzzled. “Yeah, why’s that such a surprise?”

“Well, I…” Danny suddenly felt ashamed. “I thought all the soloists just voted for themselves.”

She seemed surprised, which made Danny feel even worse. “Oh, well…” She trailed off, taking a second to switch back to her usual supportive self. “He wouldn’t have voted for you if he didn’t think you deserved it. Besides, it’s your senior year. Of course you want a solo.”

“But so did he.” Danny sighed. “How mad do you think he’d be at me?”

The moment Kira took to measure her words sent Danny’s stomach sinking through the floor. “Look, it’s like you say. Scott wanted the solo. And he probably wouldn’t be thrilled, but… It’s done now. He’s happy for you. What’s the point in even telling him?”

Danny nodded, content to let sleeping dogs lie, but less content knowing he’d screwed over one of his best friends. Still, Kira was right, what good would it be telling him now?

Footsteps paced away from close by, fading quickly into nothing. Danny and Kira both stared at the door, which Danny just remembered he left wide open.

“Huh. Wonder who that was.” Kira said nonchalantly as she headed over to the computer.

There was no doubt in Danny’s mind it was one of two people. One who’d use what he just said against him, and one he’d just pissed off who’d happily let someone use it against him. He clenched his fists and the tension burned all the way up to his shoulders. Sectionals was flying towards them and Danny couldn’t handle anything messing things up even more. The issue was that Theo knew that, and he also knew Sectionals was a cakewalk. Even if Danny got shaken, they’d still likely walk away with the win. But Danny would be thrown from his pedestal to a far, hard fall. He didn’t even ask himself if Theo would risk throwing Sectionals to mess with Danny. Of course he would.

“Danny?” Kira said, dragging his focus away from the spiralling in his head. “Want to run through the duet and then your solo?” she offered. He nodded and stood as she hit play on the music.

He knew he had a hell of a storm coming.

He knew next week was going to push him to his limit.

And he knew he had to practice harder than ever, because whatever Theo was willing to do to screw Danny over, he couldn’t let it be enough.

Focus on the music, he thought. Just focus on the music. Not Theo. Not Hayden. Not Scott. Not Stiles.

Mr Hale was right: he needed to be a leader, and that meant when things got hard, he'd work harder. A good captain always goes down with his ship.

But, Danny couldn't help but think, no one cares how loyal the captain was if he was the one who steered them into an iceberg.


	8. Don't Rock The Vote

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter yet, which is only fitting since we're finally at Sectionals! Thank you so much for the kudos and bookmarks, it's a real kick to keep me going, so if you're enjoying and you haven't already, please leave kudos, comment, and bookmark to stay updated. Enjoy!   
> (side note: yes a lot of this chapter is about tension caused by voting, but I SWEAR it's not a deliberate reference to what's happening in America atm, this just kind of happened in the planning stage a good while ago haha)

Autumn had crept through Beacon Hills and settled while they were sleeping. The cold, pre-dawn sky was the kind of blue that officially signified sweater weather, and Lydia’s third yawn of the short car journey told Danny he wasn’t the only one feeling the tiredness that came with a later rising sun.

“God, why do these competitions start so early?” Lydia sighed, the croak of early morning still in her voice.

Danny hummed as he drummed his fingers against the steering wheel. “Better than them starting, late I guess. Do you really want to be at a show choir competition until 3AM?”

“That depends. Is there a bar there?” she pondered.

“Probably. But there’s also a Mr Hale.” Danny reminded her. She shook her head in defeat. “So, how you feeling about today?”

“Pretty good.” She replied with a shrug. “We usually mop the floor at Sectionals. I like the songs. You and Kira sound great. Malia’s put some good dance moves together in between flirting with my girlfriend…”

Danny sucked air in through his teeth. “You and Allison talked any more about it?”

“There’s no point. Whenever we do it’s always just this loop of ‘you need to trust me,’ ‘you need to respect me,’ ‘just be nice to her,’ ‘you know she has feelings for you’… and that’s where we start to circle back around.” Lydia explained.

“Do you really think Allison would do something with Malia?” Danny asked, trying to read Lydia’s face from quick sideways glances from the road as he pulled into the school parking lot.

Whatever her face was saying, her silence said more.

“I don’t know.” She admitted finally. “I don’t, but I also don’t know if I’m just kidding myself. It just sucks I have to question it at all.”

Nodding in understanding, Danny parked the car, and turned to Lydia. “You deserve better than that. And as much as you love her, if you don’t feel like you can trust her, you need to ask yourself if this is still working.” The upwards tilt of her head signalled oncoming tears, and Danny put a supportive hand on her shoulder. “But today, forget about love. Focus on what _really_ matters. Our high school glee club.”

He earned a chuckle with that one.

“Yeah, I'll be okay. Besides, I got pretty good company for the day with Mason as my 'bus buddy.'” Lydia’s clearer eyes now fell to meet Danny’s. “Want me to put in a good word?” she asked suggestively.

“What is it with you and getting me and Mason together?” Danny asked, exasperated.

Pulling up her bag from the floor, Lydia gave a small tut. “Oh, Danny, if only you knew the power couple you were denying yourself.”

“Are you implying that there’s a couple I could be in that _wouldn’t_ be a power couple?”

His feigned offence was met with a smirk and a quirked brow from Lydia. “I guess we’ll find out if you ever get a boyfriend.” She ribbed.

They shared a tired laugh as Danny pulled his bag forward from the back seat and unzipped it in his lap. He pulled out Lydia’s metallic pink thermos and handed it to her. “Figured I should give this back to you at some point.”

She thanked him as she shook it slightly and heard the slosh of liquid. “If this is fresh, that’s very sweet. If it’s leftover from your audition, it’s straight up rude.”

“It’s fresh!” Danny reassured. She pulled out the thermos he had given to her all those weeks before.

“Good thing I had the same idea then.” She said proudly, completing the trade. Danny wondered what he had done to deserve her.

He took it gratefully in his hand. “What is it they say about great minds?”

“Attached to the prettiest faces?” Lydia offered.

Danny grinned, more than satisfied with that answer, as they stepped out of the car and towards what tradition deemed would be a cold, rickety bus.

Everyone arrived on time, even Stiles, and got a sunrise pep talk from Mr Hale, which was nowhere near as empowering as it sounded, before they got on the bus. Stiles had gotten on before Danny and took the window seat. A bad start. But leaders don’t cry over the window seat, Danny thought.

“Hey.” He greeted politely, which Stiles repeated. Figuring that was enough pleasant conversation, Danny turned to the front to go over his lyrics in his head.

“My first competition. Kind of scary.” Stiles said as the bus pulled away, hinting for conversation.

Fighting off a sigh, Danny turned to see Stiles, and was admittedly softened by the genuine worry in his face. “You’ll be fine.” Danny said smoothly. “First one’s always scary, but once you’re singing, you won’t be thinking about anything else.”

Seeming at least partially eased, Stiles nodded. “Yeah, I don’t know why I’m getting all freaked out. Not as if we haven’t been in front of a crowd together before.” He pointed out.

Danny scoffed. “Yeah, but this time your ass won’t be glued to a bench.” Uh oh, Danny thought. He froze, and feared he may have just snapped his fragile peace with Stiles, but then Stiles burst out in a laugh he had to contain with his hand.

Once people’s attention had shifted from his outburst, Stiles laughed “You suck, man.” In response. Danny’s shoulders bounced slightly with a silent laugh of his own. He’d never stuck around long enough after insulting Stiles to see if he had a sense of humour. Turned out he took it like champ. Good to know, Danny noted.

Conversation flowed pretty easily throughout the journey, to Danny's surprise. When they pulled up to the three-star hotel they’d be performing at, Danny did a double take, shocked at how short the journey felt. He thought it would feel like forever, or at least Stiles would annoy him a few more times before they arrived. As they stood to leave the bus, Danny thought smugly that Theo’s plan had failed, but not long after they began the walk to the front entrance, he felt a harsh jab to the shoulder that made him stumble.

He looked up, regaining his balance, and saw Liam marching to the entrance hand in hand with Stiles, who opened his mouth to apologise, but was too far away before he could. Danny had forgotten the perils of getting along better with Stiles; the jealousy Theo had obviously been cultivating in Liam. Scott appeared next to him, rubbing his shoulder. “Dude, you okay? What the hell was that about?”

“I made conversation with his boyfriend that I got forced to sit next to.” Danny grunted with exasperation. Scott scowled and shook his head. “Not on competition day, Scott.” Danny warned, already sensing his friend’s righteousness rising to the surface, which combined with Liam's anger was just a spark and a powder keg. Scott exhaled with a nod, and kept his hand on Danny’s shoulder as the glass automatic doors opened for them. “Pretty classy for Sectionals.” Danny commented.

The morning was short, as they usually were. A twenty minute slot in a small hall to warm up and rehearse for each team before they had to go on. The rest of the waiting time was spent with the teachers and coaches mingling as the show choirs themselves sat secluded from each other, much preferring to focus on their own teams.

Finally, the choirs were summoned to the grand hall as the first group headed backstage, the obnoxious swish of their tacky sequin costumes signifying to Danny that they weren’t a team to worry about. His focus was drawn by Malia confusedly waving the group towards the hall entrance. It occurred to him that no one made her aware of the way they did things. Danny waved her back over, and she hesitantly walked back to the area the Hills Harmonics had set up camp in. “Sorry, totally forgot to say, we don’t go in to watch the other teams to perform."

Her shoulders dropped in disappointment. “Aw, why?” she whined.

From the small sofa she shared with Boyd and Isaac, Erica raised her hand. “Epilepsy.” She said simply.

Shamefully, Malia shrunk shamefully in on herself. “Oh, God, I’m sorry, I had no idea…” she trailed off. A wave of Erica’s hand and a sound of nonchalance set her at ease.

“Eh, don't be, it’s not your fault. Just means we don’t use flashing lights in our set, but I figured if the other clubs want to use a strobe light, they should get to go for it. We’ll kick their asses anyway. And luckily, these lovely people sit out here with me. Solidarity, bitch!” she flourished her explanation with a perfect high-five to Boyd.

“Cool. Isn’t photosensitive epilepsy, like, super rare?” Malia enquired, calmed by Erica’s casualness.

“Oh, yeah,” Erica laughed, “I’m one of the _really_ special ones.” She said with a wink.

“I like staying out here. Gives us more of a chance to talk.” Theo said, which wouldn’t be threatening if it was anyone else but him. But it _was_ him. And Danny’s ribcage was already starting to tighten. “Like, about those soloist votes.”

Oh, God.

“Danny?”

This wasn’t good.

“Anything to say about where your vote went?” Theo challenged. Danny’s eyes darted around his friends, and landed on Hayden, whose face seemed laced with… surprise? Guilt, even?

She turned quickly to Theo, and whispered his name. Too late, she’d realised he didn’t have the intentions she thought he did. “Please don’t do this.”

“Do what?” Scott asked. “What's up with the votes?”

Theo’s predatory stare hadn’t left Danny for a moment. “Well, a rumour’s flying round that Danny here voted for himself to secure the win.”

The group scoffed and dismissed Theo, then one by one fell into silence as they saw Danny staring down at the floor. “Danny?” Scott said.

Danny’s eyes lifted to meet Theo’s. “What, and you expect me to believe you didn’t? Where did that one vote come from?” Danny bit back. Theo’s amused laugh sunk Danny deeper into the ground. His kill-switch had no effect on him.

“Actually, I got my vote from Stiles. I voted for Scott. Who I believe is supposed to be a good friend of yours, no?” Theo said through the shit-eating grin on his face. Danny stood up and turned his attention to Stiles.

“You said you voted for me!” Danny demanded, wanting an explanation. “What the fuck, Stiles?”

Stiles’ mouth moved, searching for the words that wouldn’t make anyone mad. “I- I didn’t think other people would. I didn’t want him to feel bad…” Stiles muttered.

“So, you voted for someone you didn’t even think deserved to win to be _nice?!_ ” Danny spit venomously. “And then lied to me?! See, this is the fucking problem with you Stiles. You’ll do or say anything to make people like you, well maybe you wouldn’t have to if you weren’t such a fucking loser!” Shocked groans that came from his friends.

“Hey!” Liam yelled, standing between Danny, and an inwardly curled Stiles. “Don’t talk to him like that!”

“Piss off, Liam.” Danny said dismissively, shoving him out the way. “I’m not done.” Danny heard the heavy breathing of Liam clearly struggling to control his anger, but right now, Danny didn’t care.

Scott stood in front of Danny next. “Are you kidding, Danny?!” he shouted. “You’re yelling at Stiles cos he tried to do something nice cos you’re mad we all found out you did something selfish?!” His scolding brought Danny back down to the ground. The eyes glaring at him started to weigh on his shoulders. “If you’d voted for me, we would have drawn, then maybe it wouldn’t even be you leading right now!”

“I thought everyone did it! I wasn’t trying to fuck anyone over!” Danny tried to explain, before pointing around Scott at Stiles again. “But this moron deliberately lied, _deliberately_ manipulated me! Why are you always allowed to get away with being such an asshole?!”

A burly security guard caught Danny’s attention with a gruff shout of “What the hell is-“

Then a smack.

Everything went white.

The first thing Danny heard as sound faded back in was distressed yelling from all side. He couldn’t quite make out who before his left eye lit up in sharp agony. He pressed a hand to it and pulled it back. He blinked his vision back to life and saw a small red streak on his palm. As more of the world came back to him, he saw the security guard leading an enraged yet already regretful Liam across the room.

The team that left their last rehearsal so strong was now a picture of disarray and distress.

Fuck, Danny thought. It was all he could think. Fuck.

He thought it again, and again.

Until finally the intermission came around.

Another security guard led Mr Hale and the three judges out first. By that time, Danny had an icepack over his eye, so at least he only had to watch the judgemental glares of the redirected audience and other show choirs with half his vision. He felt sick to his stomach. No one had even spoken since it happened.

Danny struggled to tune out his own thoughts of defeated embarrassment as Mr Hale was lambasted for not being able to control his students. When they brought up the possibility of disqualifying the team, Danny wanted to curl up on the floor and weep. He closed the eye that wasn’t swollen shut and wished it all away, as hard as he could, but nothing could change what had happened. And nothing could bring back the respect he’d just lost. The heated discussion between Hale and the judges was muffled noise to Danny, until…

“Everyone listen.” Mr Hale’s voice was a humiliated whisper as the judges stepped back inside. Danny noticed Liam being led outside by security, but quickly shifted his focus back to his teacher. “You can and _will_ thank the judges for the graciousness they’ve shown us by still allowing us to compete, if one man down. They decided the violence of one member shouldn’t doom the whole team. But don’t think I believe that what happened here was one person’s doing. I don’t care who’s responsible! But the fact this has happened, it’s…” he struggled to control the climbing volume of his voice. “This is not what we do. This is not who we are.” his voice that seemed to crack and threaten to break. That finally sent that dreaded hot water streaming down Danny’s face. Humiliated, hejust prayed Theo wasn’t watching him. “If you want any hope of leaving this competition with your heads held high, you’ll re-block this number without Liam, you’ll pull yourselves together, and you’ll perform your goddamn hearts out on that stage. Got it?” Everyone nodded silently. “Good. I’m heading back in. I… I can’t look at you all right now."

No one could move for what felt like forever, but they knew they didn’t have long. Kira was the first to stand. “Okay. I know this seems bad.” She admitted. “But we still have a chance. And even if we don’t win, we still worked really hard on these numbers and I think we deserve the chance to show them all how good we are.” It was a valiant attempt to rouse the group, but it wasn’t quite enough. Kira walked over to Danny and knelt by him. “Danny, come on. You’re the leader here too.”

He couldn’t hold Kira’s desperate look without begrudgingly rising to his feet. After all their rehearsal and mutual support, he couldn't leave her to flounder. He peeled the ice-pack from his face, and those of the team who were looking at him grimaced at the sight of his bruised, bloodshot eye. Danny wanted to bring them together. He wanted to unite them and make everything better, and go out there as the same team that walked into the building. But he couldn’t do that. Bringing himself to even apologise was too embarrassing right now.

But however hopeless they felt, they were performers. Good ones. Well-rehearsed ones. Danny knew everyone there could step on that stage and turn it on. What they needed right now was their choreo to be as tight as possible. “Malia.” Danny called. She looked up, her nose and eyes a similar shade of red. “Can we fix these the numbers so they work with only thirteen of us?”

Danny didn’t let his face falter as he spoke to her. He had to be strong enough for her to trust him. It worked, and she slowly rose to her feet, catching the attention of more of the group. “Yeah. It should just be a spacing thing. Change a couple of the formations. We’d need to be focused but if we start now we can still make it look good.” She reasoned.

“Good?” Danny pushed.

She looked at him, and managed a small smile. “Great.”

Movement was starting to return to the bodies of the team as they started to look around at each other, wondering if it was dumb to believe they might actually be able to pull this off. “Okay.” Kira said. “We better get to work then.”

Danny looked to Malia and gave her a nod and the most confident face he could muster. The signal was taken, and her shoulders rolled back as she clapped and became a choreographer. “Okay, everyone up. Up! Come on! I did not wake up at six to look good by showtime just for us to get onstage and walk around like a bunch of idiots.” Malia pulled the group members to their feet one by one, until the rest took the hint and rose to their feet. As they moved into the slightly wider space in the middle of the room, Lydia squeezed Danny’s arm affectionately, which nearly made him cry again. He couldn’t. This wasn’t the time. It was Malia’s time. And then it was showtime.

Their brains were scattered, but together they managed to form a kind of show choir hivemind that took in Malia’s instructions as one. The world fell away, and their focus was unbroken for the entire intermission, and by the time the bell rang again, they came back to reality prepared to go on. They were sweating. Determined. Ready. Were they the unstoppable group they walked in as? No. But as Danny looked around at the group before they headed backstage, he couldn’t help but get his hopes up. Maybe there really was a chance.

Time was still moving funny. They were backstage, then onstage in dim light, ready to start as the team were introduced to a respectful applause, before Danny had even processed what was happening. Starting faced to the back, Danny looked around at the perfectly still heads that made up the rest of the glee club. He realised this performance could really be it. If they lost here, their final year of Glee club ended and all Danny had built and worked for would disappear. Teeth gritted, heart pounding, he promised himself he wouldn’t let that happen. The curtain finally opened, and the first song began.

The opening harmonies sounded gorgeous, and just for a moment it was like they hadn’t missed a beat. They were acting, singing, moving in unison, and yet… that thing was missing. That unity that made them so strong. He believed their performance could make up for it, but he didn’t know for sure.

“Look at her skin, china white, tissue thin. Look how the light cuts clear to the bone…” Kira sang, melting the entire audience into her palm. Her voice was incredible, and if she was performing anywhere near the way she did in rehearsals, Danny knew the judges would be transfixed by her.

The song built and flowed, Kira leading them with power and ease, until the first song played out on a glorious high.

The applause was loud, and they even got a couple of woos. Then it was Danny’s turn to step forward. The duet. He looked across at Kira, and saw nothing but the stage light blanching against her skin, the world around her going black.

“She said lets get out of this town, drive out of the city, away from the crowds…” he began, stepping towards her. His voice was flowing like warm honey, and as she began to sing with him, Danny really started to feel the bubbles of excitement in his chest that told him what they were doing was good. Really good. “Say you’ll remember me…” they sang in unison, backed up by their teammates beautiful voices as they navigated their new staging with careful precision.

That song ended to even greater applause, but now it was up to Danny to stick the landing. The first section of the song was just Danny and piano, the others didn’t join in until around the halfway mark. He had to be as captivating as Kira.

“Have you ever felt like nobody was there? Have you ever felt forgotten in the middle of nowhere?” Danny sang, balancing just the right amount of emotion into his voice, building then drawing back, acting and singing his ass off, until finally he was joined by the rest of the Harmonics. A rhythmic clap broke out in the audience, guided by the performers, which spurred them on even harder.

With a final, pitch perfect “You will be found,” the audience burst into wild applause and the curtain dropped. Every one of them nearly collapsed the second the stage lights were gone. They came together in that moment, but as they left backstage and headed back to waiting area, that togetherness dripped away into nothing.

They were great. Not phenomenal. Not what they could have been. But great. Which usually would be enough, however they hadn’t heard the level of the other groups. What if this was the year there was some major competition and they’d totally blown it? Those thoughts ate away at Danny as the rest of the show choirs performed, gnawing at his new lack of security that threatened to break him at any moment, until Mr Hale walked out the hall door to see them once the final group had been on, and the finalists announced. They held a collective breath, prepared for the worst, looking down, taking someone’s hand, sighing deeply, until Mr Hale finally told them.

“We’re top 3.”

They all looked up in disbelief. “We what?” Allison asked, making sure she hadn’t misheard.

Hale smiled, his pride overcoming his earlier disappointment. “You all did it. We’re top 3. Get in here and get onstage.” He motioned them to follow him inside. Erica jumped up and down next to Boyd as they walked, and a couple of them started to squeal with excitement as they followed Mr Hale back towards the stage. The rest were simply dumbstruck. How, after everything, were they even Top 3? They thought for sure the judges would have ruled them out straight away and only let them perform out of kindness, but Danny still had faith. They could walk away with this whole thing. They stood onstage, first, second, and third place trophies in the centre, and a suited man making a speech and leading rounds of applause for all the day’s performers.

Danny turned to Lydia, who gripped his hand and whose face had already admitted defeat, proud of third place, but Danny gripped her hand and instilled some faith in her. This wasn’t over. His heart was pounding as the third place team was read out. “… The Voice Presidents!” The soloists of the team humbly moved to centre stage, shook the judge’s hand, and walked back with their small, golden trophy. The Harmonics were starting to mutter amongst themselves, getting onto Danny’s train of thought. Could this actually happen for them? After all that went down, could they actually win?

“And today’s first place winners, the show choir moving on to the Regional stage of the competition are…” the suited man began, ramping up the most unbearable tension Danny had ever felt. His eyes were stretched wide and his breath had stopped.

“… The Hills Harmonics!”

For a moment, none of them even moved. Not even when the judge motioned them to collect their trophy. Not even when the audience congratulated them, some even standing up. Kira finally took Danny’s hand and strode with him across the stage. She held the large, ribbon adorned trophy in the air then carried it back to her friends. Danny followed, and saw the team hugging, bouncing, screaming, some even had tears in their eyes. Just a little while ago, they were convinced they were all but defeated, and here they were. Getting another chance, getting to move on to Regionals. They couldn’t have asked for more.

But as wonderful as a win was, the gratification was temporary. Pain, embarrassment, anger, those things lasted much longer. And by the time they had waded through the congratulatory rival choirs and arrived back at the bus, that high was gone. The cheers, the squeals, were a memory that felt years gone by. Danny didn't even look at Stiles. He couldn't. He didn't know what he'd do. And he didn't know that Stiles would even deserve it. He was proud of his team, but ashamed of himself. Where did that leave him?

He didn't even want to think about it.

That day may have been a win on paper, but it felt like anything but.

He stayed silent, tried to block out those negative feelings, and the rest of the team followed suit.

The bus ride home was silent.


	9. Step By Step

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those of you who have left kudos/bookmarked. If you haven't, and you're enjoying, please do so! (feel free to leave a comment as well, if you like)
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Looks of suspicion greeted Danny as the Harmonics filed into the rehearsal room, where he was already sitting comfortably. Well, comfortably wasn't the right word. He had clearly been there a while, having left class early to speak with Mr Hale.

Things over the past week had been rocky. No one wanted to speak for fear of setting off another argument, and with no one talking, there was no way to move forward. Winning Sectionals by the skin of their teeth would mean nothing if they left Regionals in last place. It was time for Danny to take the reigns and set this club back on the right path. He figured it was the least he owed to them.

Once everyone had sat down, Mr Hale walked slowly into the centre of the room. “I have something to say to all of you.” He began. An anxious silence held the room. “I’m sorry." the anxiety dissipated, and left confusion in its place. "I’m your teacher. Your coach. And when things got hairy back at Sectionals, yes I was disappointed, but I’m even more disappointed in myself for leaving you all to fix the numbers alone. I should have helped you, set an example, and instead I just… made things even worse. Kira, Malia, I’m very proud of you for taking charge and getting the team back on its feet. You deserve all the credit in the world.” He led a well deserved applause in honour of the two girls, then turned his attention away. “And now I'm going to pass over to Danny, who has something he’d like to say to you all.” With a nod, he handed the stage over to Danny.

He shook as he stood, carefully making his way to the centre spot that Mr Hale had just vacated. Feeling as though his chest might cave in, he turned to see his team. Some were cold, some were neutral, some looked willing to listen, supportive even, but no matter how they seemed, they all deserved an apology.

His breath was unsteady, his legs trembling, but he straightened up and made himself look out. “I owe all of you an apology.” He stated with quiet certainty. Sucking in more breath, he forced himself to be louder. “I was supposed to be a leader, and I let you all down. I said some…” trying to find the words, he looked down and hesitated, before levelling his eyeline again. “Some really shitty things. I pushed Liam, I yelled at my friends, and I nearly got us disqualified. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, all of you. But some of you deserve a little more than just one big general apology.”

Knowing this would be the most dangerous apology to give, he first settled his eyes on Liam, whose was still cold as stone. “I’m sorry, Liam. For pushing you, for riling you up. I’m responsible for everything going as far as it did. And I really am sorry you didn’t get to perform with us.” No real change came from Liam, but Danny had done what he could. His eyes diverted to meet Stiles’, which were still as sad and glassy as they had been all week. “Stiles, I’m sorry. I was completely out of line saying all that shit to you. I don’t know why I got so mad, but you didn’t deserve it. I'm really sorry.” Thankfully, Stiles let his shoulders drop and his face softened. At least Danny was getting through to someone. He then settled his gaze on Scott, who was strangely hard to read. “Scott, I should have voted for you. And believe me, I would have, and if I could go back now I would, but I would never have voted for myself if I didn’t think you, Isaac, and Theo did the exact same thing. You’re one of my best friends, and I’d never try to fuck you over. But… that doesn’t change the fact that I did. I’m so, so sorry. And I know there’s no real way to make up for it, but for a start, I’ve decided I'm not going to audition for a solo at Regionals. If I didn’t give all of you a fair shot, there’s no reason I should get one. So yeah, Isaac, Theo, I’m sorry to you guys too. You all deserve it. And whichever one of you takes it to Nationals is going to kill it.”

Once he had finished, Danny felt steadiness return to his legs. It actually came out pretty easily, hethought. The apology to Theo caught in his throat slightly, but hopefully not enough that anyone noticed. And as he looked around the room, it seemed the ice was thawing. “So,” Danny continued, “to finish this much needed, though admittedly sappy apology, I thought I’d sing you all an even sappier song.” As he plugged his phone into the speaker, he got an appreciative laugh followed by a singular clap that rippled out into supportive applause. “Just a note before it starts: ‘gomenasai’ means ‘sorry.’”

A gentle piano intro played, and Danny looked around at the club. Aside from Theo and Liam, they all smiled at him, supporting him without words as he began to sing. Much to his comfort, people were responding, leaning forward in their chairs, meeting his eyes. This was one of those times Danny couldn’t disappear into the music. He had to face his friends, really say sorry to them.

“Gomenasai, for everything. Gomenasai, I know I let you down…” he sang. Was it a little on the nose? Sure. But apologies didn’t need to be subtle, he thought. They needed to be sincere.

As the song ended, Scott was already on his feet and on his way over to him before people had even really started clapping. Before he could think about what was coming, Scott threw his arms around Danny and held him tight. Danny hugged back just as hard until Scott let go, beaming with pride. “That was really cool of you dude. And hey, I’m sorry too. Like you say, it’s not like you meant it. Guess we all could have just taken it down a peg.” Scott conceded. Danny finally felt the bind around his ribcage untie. He could breathe again. Really breathe. A life not in Scott McCall’s good graces was a sad life indeed.

Soon, the whole room was coming down to hug Danny, and each other. Even Hayden, which Danny found odd, and Theo, which Danny understood was mainly for image. But one figure stayed sat in his chair, bitterness emanating into the room. “So, that’s it?” Liam bit. “A song, a sorry, and that’s it? Everything’s fine again? No, fuck you, man!”

“Liam…” Mr Hale warned, but Liam took no notice.

He stormed down to the front, the other students clearing a path for him, as he squared up to a reluctant Danny. “You push me, you insult my boyfriend, or I guess _ex_ -boyfriend now, thanks a lot, you fuck with the votes…”

“Liam, _enough!_ ” Mr Hale yelled, sending Liam back a few steps. “Danny apologised, genuinely and graciously, for what he did. That doesn’t make what he did okay, and if you still feel raw about it, that’s fine, but what else is he supposed to do but try and make amends?”

It was a rhetorical question, and Liam was smart to remain silent.

Mr Hale took his volume back down, but still held every ounce of power in the room. “I understand it’s harder for you to control your anger than other people. But regardless, you’re still responsible for your actions, and I don’t think you’ve even so much as spoken to Danny let alone apologised to him for what you did. Did you forget you punched him in the face? You played a pretty big part in nearly disqualifying this team, and more than that, you hurt Danny. Your teammate. And it could have been a lot worse! What if he’d gotten a concussion?! I’d be well within my right to remove you from this team, but I believe in giving people another chance. I want you here, Liam. I know being here has been good for you. But if you’re a danger to the people here, and you refuse to act like part of this team, I can’t do it. Now, is there anything you’d like to say to Danny?”

Liam was so tense you’d think his muscles were made of steel. Turning to Danny, he only barely unclenched his jaw enough to say two words.

“Fuck you.”

Danny was shocked. Disobeying Mr Hale was as terrifying and rare as a tsunami. Clearly unfazed, Liam turned to Mr Hale, even louder, and pointed at him aggressively. “And fuck you! You want to scare an apology out of me?! Fuck that! I quit!” And with that, Liam was gone. His harsh, heavy footsteps could still be heard long down the hall as he left his team behind.

The silence was long, Danny’s only distraction being the comforting hand Lydia rested on his shoulder, which he held with his own. A slight whisper was heard, that people saw coming from Theo as they turned towards the sound. “No!” Hayden asserted, drawing the attention of anyone who wasn’t already looking at them. “I’m done ‘talking to people’ for you! Just leave him alone.” Her voice quivered as she approached Danny, shoulders curled inwards shamefully. “I’m sorry. You were right, I should have… I need to go, I’m sorry. I’ll see you all next week.” She scurried away without another word, despite the protests of the rest of the room, and they all turned to face Theo. The queen of the chessboard who’d just lost her last pawn. For the first time, perhaps in all the years they’d known Theo, he looked sheepish, embarrassed even, as he turned away from them to look at Mr Hale. The rest of the group followed suit, wondering where to go from there. He seemed to be wondering himself.

“Clearly tensions are high. I don’t think we’re going to get productive work done today. Let’s call rehearsals here. Go home, take care of yourselves, and lets come back strong next week. If anyone needs to talk, my door’s always open.” Mr Hale said. People didn’t take long to empty from the room. Danny was a little behind, even outstaying Mr Hale who was presumably off to his regular classroom, unhooking his phone from the speaker, taking a moment to check through some benign notifications before he finally slung his bag over his back. He turned around to see Stiles just standing there, waiting for him.

“I liked your song.” He said. Danny was confused. It wasn’t really something to be enjoyed, it was a gesture. “I, er, I broke up with Liam. After the competition. I don’t know if you heard, but… Uh… Um, thank you for apologising. I accept, obviously.” He continued, shifting his approach each time when met with Danny’s silence. “I am too. Sorry, I mean. I know I shouldn’t have lied, but-“

“Stiles…” Danny interrupted, much to the other boy’s surprise. “What do you actually want from me?”

The question seemed to catch him off guard. He stuttered a moment, before finally getting out “Um, I guess I just want to be your friend?”

“But why?” Danny pushed, exasperated. “I’ve never been nice to you. I’ve never reached out to you. Ever. Not once. Why do you still want to be my friend?”

Stiles shuffled around, uncomfortably trying to figure out whether he wanted his hands in or out of his pockets. “I don’t know, I… I don’t… want to not be friends with people, I guess.” He muttered.

“That’s nice, Stiles.” Danny quickly realised how sarcastic that sounded. “No, I mean that. It’s… it’s sweet.” That felt weird to say, he thought. “But lying isn’t the way to do that with me. Getting onstage and just ‘winging’ a performance isn’t the way to do that with me.” Stiles head had dropped, leaving Danny talking to the upward-swept brown hair on his head. “Look, I’m sorry about the competition, Stiles. Really. I meant every word of what I said to you today. I also think you’re going about this all wrong.” His head popped back up, curiosity peaked. “Not everyone is going to like you. Or be your friend. But you don’t need them to. You have friends. A lot, actually. What you do need to be is a good teammate. Lacrosse practice and dance training for glee club overlap, so Scott and I take a Saturday dance class. Isaac and Liam do a late one on Tuesdays. I practice singing at home whenever I can, and I know pretty much all of us here are in the same boat. I'm not trying to be an asshole, but have you been doing anything outside of rehearsal?”

The defeated silence that came from Stiles was a solid answer.

“So… what does that mean?” he asked eventually.

“If you want to do something, do it for the club, not just me. Get better so we’re a stronger team. Don’t just try to be friends with everyone you see-“ Danny paused, getting a hold of himself. “I just mean… Look, I’m not saying we’ll _never_ be friends. I’m just saying you can’t force it. But you can make the choice to put that energy somewhere else. Somewhere better. Does that make sense?” he said, as carefully as he could.

Stiles didn’t look happy, but he didn’t look hurt either. “Yeah. You’re right.” He replied. “See you later, Danny.”

He walked out with a nod to Danny. “Bye, Stiles.” Danny said. And that would be the last Danny saw of Stiles until Monday.

Or so he thought.

As sunlight streamed through the tall windows of the pristine dance class the next day, Danny couldn’t help but ponder whether Stiles really would make a change. He warmed up long before class started with some of the more eager dancers, one hand on the bar and the other pulling his foot behind him to stretch his quad, and thought whether he’d walk into rehearsals on Monday and see any real change in his attitude.

The sudden swing and slam of the door brought his attention to the entrance, where Scott was jogging up to him. “Hey, man!” he said excitedly.

“Hey.” Danny replied, confused. “What’s up? Your bus never gets here this early.”

“I got a ride today.” Scott explained, without anticipating the very obvious follow-up Danny would have.

“Cool. Who from?” he inquired.

His question was answered before Scott had a chance, when Stiles tentatively opened the light, wooden door and approached Scott and Danny. “Who else but this one?” Scott said, ruffling Stiles’ hair before he took a spot on the floor to begin stretching.

For a while, Danny and Stiles couldn’t figure out what to say to each other. Danny decided to break the silence. “This is cool. That you’re doing this.” He said. Complimenting Stiles unprovoked felt pretty new, but only kind of strange.

He shrugged. “For the team.” He explained, before beginning to mirror some of the stretches he saw happening around him. Danny hated to admit he was happy with something Stiles did, but the corner of his mouth tugging upwards admitted it for him. “So… how was your Friday night?” Stiles asked.

Danny stared at him as he anxiously awaiting an answer, and wondered whether or not he could do this. He never promised Stiles friendship, but if he was friendly now, it may give him the wrong idea. But then, he was doing something good. Which didn’t mean Danny owed him conversation, however. Danny came to realise he was thinking way too hard about deciding to reply, when the simple answer hit him: he didn’t _not_ want to reply.

“It was okay. Nothing to report, really.” He said, finally. Then, feeling generous, he extended an olive branch to Stiles the likes of which he’d never seen. “What about you?”

Stiles’ eyes sparkled. Danny was finally actively making conversation with him. Stiles replied. Then Danny said something. Then Stiles. This went on for several minutes, and only three eye rolls, four quiet groans, and one loud one. Still, Stiles never acted the lost puppy looking for a home, nor did he fall over standing in place, which Danny had seen him do. Twice. He was, and Danny didn’t think this lightly, not unpleasant.

As the lesson started, the boys were led through some standard dance steps, and Danny peered round at Stiles a few times and saw his eyes locked to the front, actively trying with everything he had. Danny couldn’t help but think to himself that this could be the start of something absolutely tolerable.


	10. Fight or Fright

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feels odd to be posting the Halloween chapter in mid-November, but I hope you all enjoy the spooky vibes nonetheless. Hope you enjoy! Please leave kudos, comments, and bookmark if you want to see where the story goes <3

Even through his thick sweater, Danny still felt the Autumn chill that edged ever closer to winter. As he waited for Malia, Lydia, and Allison to pile out of his car, he admired the carefully decorated yet functionally useless archway into the Halloween fair. Adorned with red, orange, and yellow leaves and some of the higher-priced party store decorations, it served as little more than a photo op. One he caught Malia making use of when she had landed outside the car.

“Getting a good shot?” Danny asked.

She bit her lip as she shifted the angle of her phone. “Trying to. People keep walking through it. And around it. Why do they even have an archway?”

With a shrug, Danny locked his car. “Guess they just thought it’d look pretty. Hey, Allison!” he called, drawing her attention away from the girlfriend she seemed to be working up to a fight with, given the slowly growing murmurs Danny had been hearing since they parked. “Scott text and say where he is?”

She quickly checked her phone and shook her head. “No, maybe we should just find them in there.”

“No need!” a familiar voice shouted in the distance. They looked to see Scott bounding towards them, like a Border Collie in a German Shepherd’s frame. He was followed throug the archway by Kira, Isaac and Stiles. Danny met Scott with a quick hug as he greeted him, before turning his attention to Stiles, who was also heading his way.

“Hey, man.” Danny said. “How you doing?”

Stiles was nodding and grinning like an excited kid before he’d even answered. “Dude, I’m so excited, I love Halloween, and they’ve got, like, _everything_ Halloween. A pumpkin patch, a maze…” Danny phased him out for a little while in the middle. Baby steps. “… and then there’s the Hocus Pocus performance thing, hey, who’s doing that by the way? Cos I think they should have asked us, I mean…”

He showed no signs of slowing down, so eventually Danny was forced to interrupt with a kind, but firm, “Stiles, if we’re going to get to do any of that, you need to stop talking.” Scott laughed as Stiles quickly shut his mouth.

“I think the sky actually got darker while you were talking.” Scott ribbed as he began to move around Stiles, who gave him a friendly shove as they headed towards the relatively famed Beacon Hills Halloween fair.

The twinkling orange lights were already beginning to stand out starkly against the sky when they arrived, so they knew they had to move fast to hit all the good spots. Weaving through the crowd, they first travelled to the vast pumpkin patch, sparsely decorated with some ragged scarecrows. One even had a pumpkin head, which Danny thought was a nice touch.

At one point, Danny turned around to see Scott and Isaac laughing as they took a picture of Stiles sitting on a pumpkin, either pretending to shit it out or to be laying an egg. Danny rolled his eyes so hard he turned all the way around, where he saw Lydia standing, hair gently tossed by the wind, as she watched Allison and Malia take pictures together.

Danny walked over to put his arm around her, and felt just how tightly wound she was. She relaxed slightly into his touch and rested her head against him. “I think this might be the day.” She said darkly. It was a threat, but not to Danny. He rubbed her shoulder gently.

“Come on, Lyd. You got this. Stay strong.” He encouraged, placing a gentle kiss on the top of her head.

She turned out of his arm and faced him. “It’s just, like, right in front of me, you know? She knows I don’t like it.” She looked down as her voice shook for the first time.

“Lydia, you know Allison wouldn’t do anything. Think how we’d look to someone who didn’t know I was gay.” Danny pointed out, which seemed to sway Lydia back to peace for a moment.

That moment didn’t last long. “Yeah, but it’s not her I don’t trust.” She hinted. Danny nodded in understanding. Malia seemed nice, but they didn’t know her well, and she sure had no problem getting so close to a girl who was taken. But then, maybe her intentions were totally pure. Lydia was stuck, and there was no easy answer. As Danny pulled Lydia in for a hug, Scott announced he and Stiles had found their pumpkins, and they all looked to see them each heaving a huge pumpkin towards the carving table at the front of the patch.

“That the same one you gave birth to?” Danny asked sarcastically.

Stiles turned to Danny, eyes widened with imagined trauma. “I’ll never look the same down there again…” he whimpered.

The scoff that came from Danny edged dangerously close to a real laugh. Stiles didn’t need that confidence boost. Danny followed alongside the rest as the boys sat their king-size pumpkins on the table.

“So, how we doing this?” Kira asked. “Boys vs girls?”

That offer was met with silence and some desperate attempts not to eye Malia, Allison, and Lydia, who were also trying hard to keep their heads down.

“As if.” Danny blurted out. “Lydia and I don’t need any help to take you guys down.” He challenged, earning some effectively riled sounds from the others. Crisis averted, he thought, as he took Lydia to the top end of the table, with the slightly plumper of the two pumpkins.

“Care to wager that?” Stiles dared, a slight arch in his brow. Danny concocted a plan with a sly grin.

“Sure. How about this? I win, you eat all the pumpkin guts. But if _you_ win, _you_ eat all the pumpkin guts.” He said, starting directly at Stiles with his arm outstretched. Before anyone could warn him, Stiles decidedly shook Danny’s hand. Scott soon explained to Stiles what a sucker he'd just been. He tried to protest as Danny turned to set the egg timer, but all he responded was a mocking “Hope you’re hungry, Stiles.”

It was a tense ten minutes. What Danny and Lydia lacked in extra hands, they more than made up for in precision, so while the others emptied their pumpkin first, the actual design fell apart with every haphazard cut. Lydia and Danny were one mind, shelling out their pumpkin fast, and Lydia somehow without even a smudge on her perfect nails, then set out a suitably spooky design with a pen and started cleanly slicing into it, precise and quick. As the timer ran down, the sun set further, turning the sky a brilliant red.

The timer could barely be heard over Scott, Allison, and Stiles wrestling over their pumpkin, while Danny and Lydia were already dropping in their candle. As the firelight flickered across their faces, they went from frantic to defeated. It was a simple enough design, but considering the other pumpkin was so messy, ugly, and… torn, somehow, it was clear enough who the winner was. The larger group gave a half hearted clap to Danny and Lydia, who were bowing facetiously. 

“Thank you, thank you, but now it's time for the real main event.” Danny said, getting ready to bask in his second victory of the day. Stiles groaned as he dejectedly approached the bowl of piled-high pumpkin guts to the cheering of his friends. “Dig in.” Danny ordered.

Stiles filled his mouth fast, swallowed faster, then dove back in. Handful after painful handful, Stiles choked down the stringy orange pulp and its seeds. “Okay, okay! Stop! I didn’t think you’d actually do it!” Danny yelled, before breaking into a fit of laughter the rest of his friends joined him in, as Stiles came to the horrifying realisation that if he paused for even a second, he might not have had to eat any pumpkin guts at all.

As Stiles washed down his defeat with root beer, a familiar face stood out in the crowd. Theo. One by one, they all turned to see him, then turned back around.

How was he always there? Danny thought.

“He’s not so bad, you know.” Isaac said, drawing glares from the rest of the group. “Seriously. We got to talking the other day, and I don’t think he meant for everything to get so messed up.”

“Are you forgetting all the shit he’s done? That’s not all an accident.” Danny contested.

Malia spoke up, “Well, maybe he knew it wasn’t the best idea, but he didn’t know it would get so complicated. Maybe that part was an accident.” The way she spoke sounded as though it wasn’t really Theo she was talking about.

“Well, I say we head to some of the booths. And make some bets on how long it’ll take Stiles to throw up.” Scott said, breaking the tension like an expert. Stiles spoke over the bets being taken to say he had “guts of steel” from all the processed crap he ate, but it didn’t stop the bets all being placed at under an hour.

As lanterns were lit, light left the sky, and Stiles walked off the shame of puking into a trash can around thirteen minutes later, it seemed they had visited every booth, bought a couple tacky souvenirs, and the night seemed close to over. For almost everyone.

“Please, please!” Stiles begged the group. “It’s such a fun maze, real actors chase you, and you get to carry a lantern! I’ll pay you! I’ll pay all of you!” He was trying his hardest to sell the spooky corn maze to everyone, but they weren’t budging.

All apart from Danny, who was finding himself oddly tempted.

He wondered if it was because Stiles’ ridiculously sad cartoon eyes were tugging on his heartstrings, or just because, like Stiles, he was also quite the horror fan. Truth be told, it looked kind of fun. “I’ll go with you.” He said. Stiles’ mouth made an ‘o’ of surprise, before he whooped and jumped in the air. “Don’t make me regret it, Stiles.” Danny warned, and Stiles went back to being planted firmly on the ground.

“Okay, well I’m still spent, so we’ll meet you guys back at the car?” Scott offered. They all agreed, and bar Stiles and Danny, began the long walk back to their cars. Danny and Stiles got their thankfully electric lantern, the last thing the world needed being Stiles with a flame, and a map which Danny took ownership of. They headed in, the dark sky overhead sinking into blackness. Aside from some distant screams of other people in the maze, things were pretty quiet. Which of course meant Stiles was about to strike up conversation.

“So, you ever see that movie with the scarecrows who killed all those people in a maze?” he asked.

Danny thought a moment, then turned to Stiles, who was barely lit by the lantern as it hung over the map. “No, is it good?”

“No.” he said after a moment, his face faltering. “I don’t- it might not have even been a maze actually…” he trailed off, getting embarrassed.

This time, Danny couldn’t help it. He started to laugh, quiet at first, then fairly hard. Poor Stiles. So earnest, and so, so uncoordinated. The laughter seemed to ease him though. He chuckled a fair bit himself. After that entertainment, Danny figured he owed Stiles a little conversation. “Well, okay,” he said once he’d finally calmed down, “what is your favourite scary movie? If you can remember one.”

After raking through his brain to isolate an absolute favourite, Stiles finally said “Halloween. I’m a sucker for the classics.” He said.

“Hey, me too.” Danny replied, earning an excited look from Stiles. “When did you see it first?”

And with that they were off, Stiles following Danny’s lead when he turned, holding the lamp like a pro, and being altogether pretty pleasant company. Apart from the fact he kept tripping. First time was kind of funny. Second, even. But the jump into double digits really had Danny losing his patience, especially since it made him jump every time. Still, they had gotten to the centre of the maze and were on their way to the exit without even having seen a masked actor. 

“See, I think Michael’s scarier, but Freddy’s harder to b- whoa!” Stiles exclaimed as he face-planted once again.

Danny shut his eyes tight, effectively frightened once again by his sudden falls. “Stiles, for the love of-“ he began yelling, before he took a breath to calm himself and helped Stiles up. “There you go, dude.”

“Sorry.” Stiles moaned, rubbing his knee as they began to walk again. “You can be pissed off if you want.” He continued.

Quirking an eyebrow, Danny studied Stiles, wondering if he was being genuine or passive aggressive. His face said genuine. “What do you mean?” Danny inquired.

“I mean, thirteen times in one maze. That’s got to piss you off.” He shrugged. “We’re not going to go back to that awkward... duet place just cos you’re mad at me.”

“I’m not mad. You’re scaring me, dude." Danny explained. "And you don't need to. They pay people for that.”

Stiles sniggered, almost impressed with himself. “I’m just saying, you can think I'm annoying and still be my friend.”

Wow.

The f-word.

A brave move from Stiles, Danny thought. And the trepidation on Stiles face said he knew it. But if what Stiles said was true, and they’d been nothing but nice to each other since Stiles joined dance class, Danny found it hard to classify them another way. Sure, maybe they weren’t super close, but they were still… kind of… technically…

Danny didn’t have to internalise the word yet.

“Well…” he began. “I guess if that’s how everyone else is doing it.”

“Exactly, I- hey!” he whined as he caught on to what Danny implied. They chuckled together, then out of nowhere, a dark figure in a grotesque mask jumped out from behind and roared at them.

Stiles shrieked, and of course fell to the ground, and Danny picked him up in amongst his own screams dragging him towards what he hoped was the exit. “Turn off the lantern! Turn off the goddamn lantern!” Danny screamed as Stiles adjusted to using his own feet to run from the monster.

Snuffing the light out, Stiles pushed into Danny’s side and toppled them over as they turned a corner. Before he could let out a yelp, a hand was placed over Danny’s mouth and held tight. The figure chasing them stopped dead, and Danny could just make out Stiles’ eyes staring hard into his own, willing silence from him. The masked man grunted in defeat, and felt his way down another path, using the corn to guide him, and once he was gone the two boys let out a sigh of relief. They gasped in exhilaration as quietly as they could so as not to draw him back.

“Good thinking.” Danny whispered.

Stiles smirked and nodded proudly. “Thanks. We should probably…”

Words fell away, and Danny became acutely aware that he was laid back against a wall of corn with Stiles pressed down against him, from the hips all the way up to their chests, and their faces felt close. Very close. Too close to not be backing away. It was beating heart against beating heart, and Danny looked at Stiles, waiting for him to get off of him, then wondering why he wasn’t moving him.

An approaching orange light broke their trance. They looked up, expecting another monster to chase them, but instead saw something much worse. Theo.

God, he really was everywhere.

Danny realised the compromising position he was in: Stiles on top of him, both of them not moving, hiding in the dark like it was a secret. His mind ran through all the things Theo could do with this, all the ways he could use it. He could expect any number of plans and schemes to take root here. But he didn’t expect the other man’s face to falter into a scowl, his head to drop, and for him to quickly walk away. Not just walk. It was like he was running from them. He seemed upset, which was never something Theo admitted to being.

As they turned away from the direction Theo ran, Stiles’ nose brushed against Danny’s, causing both boys to finally retreat from each other. They stared at one another, unblinking as they each waited for the silence to be broken.

“Thank god you had those mints on you earlier.” Stiles blurted out. And Danny laughed. He actually laughed, more out of relief than anything else, but he did. Loudly and heartily.

“God, I don’t even want to think about what your pumpkin-gut vomit breath would have smelled like.” Danny groaned.

As the laughter worked its way down to a giggle, they rose to their feet, and Danny realised something: whatever that weird moment was, he was glad it happened with Stiles. A compulsive tension breaker is exactly what you need when that happens, Danny thought, as he continued warming to the idea of Stiles being his…

Acquaintance-plus.

Yeah.

That was a nice stepping stone.

Danny looked above the maze, and tapped Stiles’ shoulder. “Hey. Look at the light.” He said, gesturing to the glowing lanterns that lit the fair, finally visible again.

“Uh, yeah. Pretty.” Stiles commented.

As Danny wondered how Stiles didn’t get what he was saying, he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Look how close it is.” He said through gritted teeth, content in his decision not to break out the f-word just yet.

The gasp that came from Stiles said he finally got it. “We’re so close to the exit! Nice work, man.” Stiles commended. Danny had to admit, he was happy Stiles noticed his frantic attempt to steer them in the right direction, even with the threat of…

Well, not death. Can those guys even touch you? Danny thought, as he and Stiles wandered slowly out of the exit.

Music blared from a small stage surrounded by a tightly-packed standing audience. Stiles hands flapped in excitement, slapping Danny in the process.

“Dude, we made it out in time for Hocus Pocus! I don’t even think they’ve done ‘I Put A Spell On You’ yet!” he yipped, starting to bounce again.

“Stiles.” Danny said, and Stiles calmed. “You got your maze. The guys have been waiting since the sun was still setting.” He explained.

After a disappointed grunt, Stiles nodded and began to follow Danny back towards the arch, which looked much more vibrant and impressive lit up against the dark parking lot.

“Stiles!” Theo called out. Danny turned around to see him hanging around by the maze exit. He looked… sad. Or nervous? Danny continued to put distance between himself and Theo, but Stiles had stopped. “Can I… Can we talk? Just for a minute?” he requested, almost pleading.

First, he looked to Danny, then back to Theo, then back to Danny again, now with a resigned expression. “Go get everyone. I’ll catch up.” He promised as he turned back and walked towards Theo.

Suspicion was the first thing Danny felt as he headed back to the arch, then concern for Stiles. He didn’t know Theo, not like Danny did. And knowing Stiles, he would probably fall for the “I’m really a nice guy, just give me another chance” schtick that he was so good at pulling off even Isaac was still falling for it.

His focus was drawn from Theo by the sound of two women yelling at each other from beyond the arch. When he realised one of the voices was Lydia’s, it didn’t take him long to guess who the other would be. He sped up, and as he approached the car, his fear was confirmed.

Lydia and Malia, both being pulled back from each other as they yelled, pointed, stared each other down. It was nothing physical yet, but the threat was there, and Danny knew the second one hit was thrown, it was all over. Without thinking, he placed himself between both girls and steadily pushed them away from each other by the shoulder.

“Whoa! Stop it! What the fuck is going on here?” Danny demanded.

With a scoff, Lydia shook free from Allison’s grip and turned her attention on her. “Yeah, what the fuck is going on here, Allison?! Because that bitch…” she spat at Malia, who had to be contained by both Scott and Danny, before turning back around, “.. has been flirting with you for months and you haven’t done a goddamn thing about it! You can’t expect me to just be fine with that!” she screamed. People had stopped to look, which a suddenly embarrassed Lydia saw as she turned around, wet streaks down her cheeks lit by the glare of garish orange light.

Danny’s chest tightened, and he headed straight for her to pull her into a tight hug. He felt her shake and breathe hard as she tried not to cry, and looked up to see Allison with her arms crossed, biting her bottom lip that threatened to wobble and bring tears of her own. It hurt Danny not being able to be there for both of them. He wanted to make sure they were both okay, but how was he supposed to do that?

“I think we should… get going.” Scott said quietly, as the small crowd that stopped awkwardly dispersed. “Malia, you want to come back with us?” Scott offered. Malia nodded silently, and followed Kira and Isaac to the car. Scott hung back a moment, and nodded at Danny, who offered one back. Ideally, they would have been able to separate all three of them, but at least getting Malia away from Lydia and Allison was a step in the direction of peace. “You cool grabbing Stiles?” Scott asked.

“Yeah, make sure Malia gets home safe.” Danny said, with an implied “ _now._ ”

At the back end of all the Drama, Stiles ambled out of the amber archway, just casually laughing and chatting with Theo. Danny gritted his teeth, watching Stiles just happily enjoying a conversation with that asshole, as if he hadn’t only recently fucked up their lives, and played a part in them nearly losing Sectionals.

He spotted Danny with his arms still around Lydia, and waved Theo off as he approached cautiously. “Hey, is everything okay?” he asked, even though it obviously wasn’t.

“Just… been kind of a rough night. Scott’s taking the others home, you’re coming back with us. I hope that’s okay?” Danny said, not foreseeing a problem until Stiles sucked air in through his teeth.

“So, I know this is kind of weird but… I’m heading back with Theo.” Stiles said. Danny waited for him to keep going, because that definitely required an explanation. Clearing his throat after a few awkward seconds, Stiles continued “I know, but we’ve been talking, and… He seems sorry. Really sorry. And I think, maybe, if he had someone to talk to, he might feel better. Less like he has to mess with people all the time. You were the one who said to do stuff for the good of the team, right?”

With a sigh, Danny handed Lydia his keys and told her to sit in the car to warm up. A gentle smile and nod to Allison told her to do the same. They both left gratefully, starting to shiver in the cold October air, as Danny stepped closer to Stiles. “Dude, I’m telling you, be careful. This isn’t the first time Theo’s ‘seemed sorry’. And believe me, I want it to be real, but I also want Santa to be real.”

“He isn’t?” Stiles gasped, his fake shock so good Danny actually bought it for a second. After making Danny chuckle reluctantly, Stiles rested a warm hand on his shoulder. “I’ll be careful. Promise. And hey thanks for looking out for me. You’re a real good friend.” He smirked, as he backed away and ran back to Theo. Danny watched for a break in Theo’s expression, a glance to check if he was watching, something, anything to catch him in the act. Nothing. They walked away into the darkness without so much as one foot out of line. Either Theo was getting nicer, or he was getting better _._

Danny turned around and headed to his car. Through the window, he saw Allison in the back seat and Lydia in the front, and knew he was in for a long, unbearably quiet journey. And the whole way home, the only break Danny got from that aching tension was when his mind drifted back to the fair: what was Theo doing there? What was he planning? And what was that weird moment with Stiles back in the maze?

Everything was so tense and awkward and suspicious and confusing.

Maybe Stiles was right.

Maybe they should have just stayed to watch the Hocus Pocus performance.


	11. Eat and Make Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoy! This chapter is much shorter than the recent ones, but hopefully you all still like it. If you do, please leave kudos, comment, and bookmark for updates! Hope you all enjoy :)

Danny didn’t quite know if Stiles’ breakfast order got bigger every week, or if he was just tuning him out less when he spoke. Either way, he missed the days when he and Scott didn’t have to cram their juice glasses into the narrow gaps between Stiles’ multitude of plates. Still, Danny supposed he had gotten used to Stiles company at the table now. It might even feel too quiet without him. Though the fact that Danny now had a “too quiet” made him worry that Stiles being around so much was affecting him. Sure, appreciating Stiles’ company made things easier, but at what cost? His soul?

“So, Danny,” Scott began, drawing him out of his thoughts, “how are Allison and Lydia?”

Pursing his lips, Danny hummed quietly. “Not good.” Both other men shared worried glances as Danny sipped his orange juice. “I mean, really it’s no worse than they were at Theo’s party but… it’s not really getting better? Like, they ignore it, then they fight again, then they ignore it again and…”

“You don’t know how much longer they can keep pretending things are how they used to be?” Scott finished. Eyes settled down on the table, Danny nodded. He hated getting so heavy at post-dance class breakfast, but Lydia and Allison were some of his closest friends, and it was hard not to get weighed down in their unhappiness. Lydia seemed a little better after she’d stayed the night with Danny, but she wasn’t the same strong, measured person he knew. He couldn't help but worry for her.

But if he worried about it any longer, he’d think about nothing else all day. His eyes lifted to meet those of a concerned Stiles sitting opposite him. It suddenly struck Danny what he could switch the conversation to. “Speaking of things being different, how was your evening with Theo?” Danny prodded.

Scott’s head whipped around to Stiles. “Theo?!” he exclaimed, before switching back to Danny. “You let Theo get him alone?!”

“Relax!” Stiles insisted, amused by Scott’s sudden alarm. “Danny offered to take me back, I said no.” Stiles explained. Danny hoped being chosen as second to Theo wouldn't become a habit. “We talked, a lot, we ate, and… I don’t think he’s such a bad guy.” Stiles offered cautiously. The emphatic groans and sighs that came from Scott and Danny told him he was fighting a losing battle.

“God, you too? What, did Theo attach some kind of, I don’t know, brain slugs to you and Isaac? To control you? Huh? To make you say he’s not a bad guy? Cos that’s the only explanation I can think of. Come on, tip your head forward. Tip it! I want to check for brain slugs!” Scott demanded.

“Scott.” Danny hissed. “Volume.” Scott awkwardly sat back against his seat and sank into it as the attention he drew slowly faded away. “He does have a point though, Stiles. Theo sucks. A lot. He’s an asshole’s asshole. Remember Sectionals?”

“Yeah, remember Sectionals?” Stiles replied, confusing Danny into silence for a moment. “When we found out you voted for yourself? And you said some crappy stuff, and you looked really bad? Then you apologised, and explained, and it turned out it wasn’t that bad at all? I mean, think about it, you guys have all made up your minds about Theo, so how the hell is he supposed to change? He was different with me, he was sweet, he apologised, and…” Danny’s eyes narrowed. Stiles never ran out of things to say. Whatever sentence he wasn’t finishing, he knew it was going to piss Scott and Danny off even more. Finally, after a preparatory breath, he continued. “At the end of the night, he asked me out.”

Danny’s ribcage nearly caved in on itself. No. Stiles couldn’t date Theo. Not after Danny had just started to trust him. Any respect he had built for Stiles was crumbling, and as he turned to Scott, Danny could tell he was feeling the same.

Before they could start yelling, Stiles raised both of his hands. “I didn’t say yes!” he said. Their mouths closed tentatively. “But… I didn’t say no either. Look, I get he’s sucked. A lot. But I’ve sucked before. I bet both of you have too. Have you noticed how long I went without making a joke about that? That’s how strongly I feel about this!”

Effectively disarmed by his charm, Scott chuckled and willed himself to listen. Danny needed more convincing.

“He’s never going to get better if no one lets him. I’m not saying you have to like him right away, but… you know, obviously things ended pretty bad with Liam. He’s not doing so good either. And he was nice to me, we… made sense. And if we make things better for each other, how can that be a bad thing?” He asked.

Danny’s hand was wound so tight around his glass he worried it might shatter. The thought of Theo and Stiles laughing, talking, holding hands, becoming a _couple_ , it was working his stomach into a tight, squirming knot. The way Stiles looked at Danny said that sensation was showing on his face, and suddenly guilt piled on to Danny’s disgust. He hadn’t had such a visceral reaction to Theo in a while, but something about him dating Stiles after everything he’d done this year sat so wrong.

Their conversation was interrupted when plates of food started to be set down in front of them. Danny was so wrapped up in his own head, he only noticed the discomfort on his friends’ faces when Stiles’ fourth plate was put down. Following the arm up to the person attached to it, Danny realised their waiter was Liam.

At first, he was just surprised it wasn’t Theo. Finally they’d found one place he didn’t just suddenly pop up. Then he found himself surprised by the lack of anger on Liam’s face. Ever since his last glee club rehearsal, Liam would scowl at him and hurry past every time he saw Danny in the halls, threat never quite absent from his stare. But here he was, standing by their table, looking, if anything, embarrassed. Maybe even regretful. His arm seemed to shake as he silently set Danny’s French toast down in front of him.

“Thanks.” Danny said, as smoothly as he could. Liam briefly glanced up at him, and forced his lips to turn upwards unconvincingly. He stayed quiet until after he set down Scott’s food. “Enjoy your meal.” He muttered, but as he turned to walk away, he paused. Danny watched as he took some time to compose himself, then pivoted back around to face them. His eyes now met Danny’s, who took it as a good sign that he didn’t feel instantly feel scared.

“Look, I…” Liam’s mouth closed as he searched for the right word. “I know it's not the best place to do this, but I’m sorry. I freaked out, and I shouldn’t have. I wish I didn’t. I feel awful that I hit you, and I swear it'll never happen again. I, uh, I’ve been seeing a therapist. It’s still new, obviously but… it’s been helping. I wasn’t mad at you, I was mad things weren’t working out with Stiles. And Stiles, you didn’t deserve that either. I’m sorry.”

He was clearly having a difficult time getting through it, so Stiles offered him a supportive “it’s okay,” and a kind smile, which seemed to settle him at least a little. He looked between all of them as he continued.

“I know I don’t really have the right, and if you don’t want me to, I’d totally understand, but… I really loved being in the Harmonics. School sucks a lot more when there’s nothing to look forward to after it.” He admitted. “As long as I keep going to therapy, keep myself in check, and apologise to everyone else… do you think I… maybe I could come back?” his voice was barely above a whisper by the end.

Maybe some people would find it strange how easy Danny was finding it to forgive him, but there was a big difference between Liam and someone like Theo: Liam didn’t lie. He didn’t play games. So Danny knew he really was sorry, and he really was trying to change. So he didn’t hesitate a second before he said. “Of course. Past is the past. I think we’d all be happy to see you back.” He assured Liam as he looked to Stiles and Scott, who nodded emphatically. “And I’m glad you’re getting the right help.” Danny finished.

Liam shuddered a sigh of relief. “Thank you. All you guys, seriously, thanks.”

“Liam?” Stiles piped up. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out. I think you’re a good guy.” He said.

With a nod, Liam started to back up from the table. Clearly, the Stiles wound still stung, but he was dealing with it as best he could. “I… really, thank you guys. I guess I’ll see you Monday.” He confirmed. “I need to get back to work. See you guys later.”

He was gone quickly, and as Danny turned his attention back round to Stiles, who had turned the tables, meeting him with an expectant glare.

“What?” Danny said, knowing what was coming.

“You can forgive Liam, but forgiving Theo is, what, unthinkable?” Stiles pressed.

Scott and Danny shared a glance, but Scott wasn’t offering the support Danny expected. He was teetering. Danny knew he was in trouble now. “Liam and Theo are different people.”

“Yeah, but they’re both trying to be better. Look, I'm not dumb. I know when someone's lying to me.”

Danny bit his lip when he almost reminded Stiles of how he successfully lied to him a short while ago, but not bringing that up left him without an argument. Either a brilliant strategy from Stiles, or an ode to his terrible memory. Most likely the latter. “I’m just saying you don’t know Theo like we do.” Danny explained.

“Maybe the Theo you know isn’t the real him either.” Stiles retorted. Danny was on the ropes. “I’m not saying you have to like him, or even trust him right away. But can you give him this one last chance? One more.” Stiles’ big, kind eyes stared into Danny’s soul and pulled out some reluctant acceptance.

“Fine.” Danny groaned, and Scott echoed soon after. Stiles beamed as he tried to pull them in for a group hug across the table, but the clattering of plates Scott and Danny had to save from falling to the floor sat him back down before they even needed to use their words. Progress for Stiles.

Though they stayed a good hour longer, Danny didn’t say much else. His mind kept circling back to Theo and Stiles. Theo and Stiles, Theo and Stiles, it repeated over and over again in his head. He pictured Theo with his arm around Stiles, looking Danny in the eyes with his signature coldness, silently gloating that he had figured out a way back in, and he always would. And poor Stiles would be none the wiser.

A loud beep from Stiles’ phone brought Danny back to reality. Stiles looked the screen, smiled, then looked up worriedly. “Uh… I've got to go.” He said hurriedly, as he threw a few small bills on the table to cover his order.

“Why?” Scott asked, just as confused as Danny was.

Stiles didn’t look at them. “Theo’s outside. We’re seeing a movie. I forgot.” Though he tried, he couldn’t avoid the warning looks from Scott and Danny. “It’s not a date!”

“Promise?” Danny snarked.

Stiles stood up as he rolled his eyes. “You agreed to give him a chance.” He reminded. With a huff, Danny cursed himself for giving Stiles that trump card.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. Have fun.” He said, faking being okay with it surprisingly well for someone viciously tearing his napkin to shreds with one hand.

Luckily, Stiles didn’t notice. “Thank you. See you guys later!” He said appreciatively, as he headed out the door.

Scott and Danny turned to each other the moment the door swung closed behind him. “What are we going to do?” Scott whined. “I don’t want Theo in the jeep when Stiles drives us to school.”

Sighing, Danny slumped down in his chair. “Only thing we can do. Smile. Be supportive. Keep a _very_ close eye on Theo. And try not to kill him.”

Resigned to their situation, they slowly finished off their breakfast, avoided the subject for the sake of their own sanity, and headed home.

Danny wanted to believe so badly that Stiles was right. That Theo really had changed, or wanted to at least, and maybe the rest of this year could be just a little quieter. But just because he was different now didn't mean all the things he did before just went away. Was Danny just supposed to forgive everything? Without even so much as an apology?

Still, that felt pretty stupid to worry about. Because Danny knew Theo wasn't sorry. 

But it wasn't just Danny on the line this time, or anyone who knew how to deal with him. It was Stiles. His highly ranked acquaintance. And though he too was a senior, he hadn't dealt with Theo before. With years of practice behind him, Theo was at the top of his sick game, and Danny didn't know if he could protect him. He didn't even know if he could protect himself.


	12. Thankless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I've finally managed a somewhat themed episode close to the holiday it's referencing! Let's hope I manage to get the Christmas chapter out before January. Anyway, hope you all enjoy! Please comment, leave kudos, and bookmark if you do :)

Performing at the last assembly before Thanksgiving was a Harmonics tradition, and one Danny was fond of. Drawing some enthusiasm from the glazed over crowd of students was always a fun challenge, and it was a nice chance to enjoy performing for a crowd without the pressure of competition. However, the lead up hadn’t been as fun as in previous years.

The past couple weeks had actually been quite frustrating. Just as it seemed Danny and Stiles were headed towards the f-word, they now barely saw each other. Stiles hadn’t even come to the most recent post-dance class breakfast. As strange as it was, Danny missed him in a way. His absence created gaps in the conversation which were now just filled with silence. It felt like he should be there, should be speaking, and Danny couldn’t tell whether these gaps were newly carved out for him, or if they were always there and he just didn’t notice.

He pondered this as he stared at his hair in the mirror, putting the finishing touches on it to get performance ready, when he noticed Stiles reflected standing across the room. Of course Theo was next to him, somehow making Stiles laugh despite the fact he’s never been funny.

“Hey, you okay?” asked Mason. Danny flipped his eyes to the other side of the mirror to see Mason’s concerned face reflected back at him.

“Uh, yeah. Just trying to fix my hair. It’s not working for me today.” He explained. He didn’t know why he felt the need to lie. His hair was fine. But Danny supposed it made more sense than looking angrily across the room at someone for not speaking to him, when he wouldn’t even consider that person more than a good acquaintance. Danny couldn't even explain that one to himself.

Mason just smiled warmly and gently turned Danny towards him. “Here.” He said, as he worked a comb through Danny’s hair. It was surprisingly comforting. He held his hand as a lid over Danny’s eyes and sprayed his hair for a moment, then stepped back to review his work. “Looking good, man.” He admired.

“Thanks, dude.” He replied with a smile. Mason was a real sweetheart. And as he turned to the mirror, Danny realised he was also a natural hair-stylist. He thought it looked fine before, but wow, he was doing himself a disservice settling for just fine. In the mirror, he saw Stiles was finally alone, trying hopelessly to figure out how to put on his bow-tie. It wasn’t even one of the ones you had to tie yourself. He just somehow couldn’t clip it to save his life. He realised he actually found that endearing enough that it rivalled his exasperation. Distance really did make the heart grow fonder after all.

He decided to take his chance to get things back on track with Stiles. Not just for him. He knew Scott was missing his best friend, and he’d even started missing the occasional lacrosse practice. The bench looked so empty without him. It was affecting morale.

Danny moved across the room. “Need some help?” he asked, his offer as sincere as the mocking that came with it. Stiles snorted slightly. Even he was embarrassed that he couldn’t figure it out.

“It’s these damn fingers. No co-ordination.” He explained, wiggling said digits for effect. As Danny reached for the bow-tie, his hands brushed against Stiles’ for a moment. He stepped back, then questioned why. “You okay?” Stiles inquired, a puzzled expression on his face.

Danny swallowed and closed the distance between him and Stiles again. “Yeah, I… I don’t know, I must have got an electric shock or something.” He reasoned, mostly to himself. It was clear Stiles wasn’t convinced, but he moved past it. Danny quickly and easily slotted the hooks of the bow tie together and stepped back. “There you go.”

“Thanks, man.” Stiles said as he peeked in the corner of a mirror to make sure it was straight. “You figured it out. Or should I say, fingered it out?”

“No, you shouldn’t.” Danny replied bluntly, getting a chuckle from Stiles. Suddenly feeling nervous, Danny shifted on his feet, the words he wanted to say to Stiles hanging hesitantly on the back of his tongue. Confused as to why, he suddenly forced them forward, mumbling “You want to hang out when this is over?” A little faster than he intended.

Stiles blinked as he processed what Danny said, then frowned slightly. “Oh, dude, I’d love to, but I got plans with Theo.” Danny must have glowered, because Stiles’ expression shifted towards remorse. “I’m sorry, man. I know I haven’t been around a lot. It’s just, things with Theo are going pretty well, and it’s… Exciting, you know?”

With a nod, Danny forced a smile. “Yeah. I know.” Stiles breathed out, relieved, and placed a hand on Danny’s shoulder. Suppressing a small gasp, Danny once again noted a jolt to his body as Stiles touched him. He wondered what the hell was going on with him.

“I promise I’ll be at breakfast this week. I mean, hey, it’s important to spend time with your _friends…_ ” Stiles held onto that last word, staring at Danny expectantly, hinting to him to finally make their friendship official.

Danny smirked, because he knew Stiles was right. That they were, by all known criteria... What he said they were. But whether Danny was still having trouble adjusting from his distaste for Stiles, or it had become a game between them, he simply replied, “See you at breakfast.” He stepped back towards his spot by Mason, and before he turned around, saw Stiles feign a blow to the chest, which he nursed with his hand. Danny shook his hand and smiled a little wider as he headed back to his original place. As he stared behind him in the mirror, he saw Theo already on his way back to Stiles. His smile gone, and in it's place came a quiet groan.

“I don’t trust him either.” Mason whispered. Danny turned and nodded at Mason, glad to have someone on his side.

“Good. Seems like people are starting to, though.” Danny mused worriedly.

Mason scoffed. “I don’t think he’ll ever _really_ win them all over. He’s still Theo.” That earned a much needed, albeit short, laugh from Danny. Now, Mason rested a hand on Danny’s arm. That felt different. Warm, inviting, something he could sink into. He looked appreciatively into Mason’s kind eyes for a moment, until Mr Hale burst in with his signature “alright” followed by a loud clap.

The Harmonics fell in line, all looking expectantly to their mentor. “Principle Adams is about to get things started, you guys are up first, and I think this is a really great opportunity for you all. Obviously, we’ve had some struggles this year, but with Liam back, it feels like we’re a whole team again…” he said, gesturing to an appreciative Liam. Danny couldn't help but smile. Seeing him walk around with a smile naturally on his face since returning to the team was so refreshing, Danny thought. He really had been trying, and so far it really had been like the drama never happened. “.. And I could not be more excited. The number looks great, Malia just keeps knocking it out the park with these dances, and you all sound wonderful. But as we all know, today is about being thankful. So be as thankful for each other as I am, and get out there and make your peers thankful that you’re the ones representing this school at Regionals!” he rounded off with a sudden raise in volume that invited a cheer from the group.

Danny thought the tying in to Thanksgiving was a little forced, but sweet nonetheless. The buzz of students talking suddenly went quiet, indicating they were about to go on.

Taking a few slow breaths to steady his heart, Danny looked around at the people around and met Stiles’ face through the small crowd. He did a little two fingered salute to him while the Principal ambled through the opening to assembly. Danny quirked an eyebrow, unconvinced, but Stiles pushed, giving another, more exaggerated salute with wide, pleading eyes. His own eyes narrowed, and gently shaking his head with a reluctant grin, he returned Stiles’ salute. Stiles did a small fist pump, and Danny regretted playing into his hands.

Allison led the charge onstage as the music began to blare over the speakers. They were met with light clapping as they stepped out onstage, taking their first position. Lydia weaved through the crowd as she began the song. “I’m nothing special, in fact I’m a bit of a bore…” she sang gently, her gorgeous voice filling the room. She was followed by Theo, who continued after her with “if I tell a joke, you’ve probably heard it before.” Danny had to admit, the boy was difficult, but he had a hell of a voice when he was really trying.

The song continued, harmonies filtering in as they twirled, stepped, and swanned around the stage. Mr Hale had clearly only chose it for its inclusion of the words “thank you”, but nonetheless Danny thought it was a pretty good fit for them. Danny loved rehearsal, but performing always felt so different. He relished every second, like the first breath after bursting from below water. Far too quickly, they ended in a triangle formation, with Theo and Stiles at the front, blasting out the final “so I say thank you for the music, for giving it to me.” And as he did after any good performance, Danny felt whole again

They were met with a fairly enthusiastic cheer. Danny prepared to bow and head offstage, but then he saw something that filled him with dread: Theo holding a mic to his mouth with one hand, and quieting the audience with the other. Oh, God, Danny thought. What was about to happen?

“Can I have everybody’s attention? I need to say something to somebody special.” The audience quietened down to an intrigued murmur, as the Harmonics looked around at each other in alarm. “Stiles?” Theo continued, turning to properly address him. Turning as well, Stiles’ eyes gleamed with anticipation. “These past three weeks have been amazing. Almost as amazing as you. But I want to make it even better.” Theo took Stiles hand and looked deep into his excited eyes as the audience began to gasp in an aweing canon. Danny felt a hideous churn in his stomach. “Stiles, will you give me something to be really thankful for this turkey day, and _officially_ be my boyfriend?”

Danny couldn’t be entirely sure he wasn’t melting into the black stage under his feet, because he swore the sinking feeling in his body was too strong to just be in his imagination. As the crowd began to encourage Stiles, Danny subtly looked around at his other teammates, and went cold: they were all happy. Expectant. With the exception of Liam, Lydia, and Scott, they all seemed to be rooting for this, rooting for Theo. Danny couldn’t believe it. He’d done it. Theo had won them back. And now, he would have the entire school on side as a sweet, romantic boyfriend. It truly didn’t matter what he did, Danny realised. He’d never really lose. No matter who he hurt, or how badly.

“I…” Stiles began. There was hesitation to find the words, but Danny didn’t hold his breath for a rejection. His approaching answer was clear as day. The only thing Danny had to wonder was why his own throat felt so tight, so dry. It was something so separate to his anger, but he couldn’t place the feeling. “Yeah. Yeah, of course!” He answered sweetly. The crowd cheered louder than they did for the performance, and as Danny looked around him, he saw all his teammates applauding for them wholeheartedly, or in Lydia, Scott, and Liam’s case, trying very hard to pretend. His jaw pressed against itself as he watched Theo’s eyes drift closed with his hands pulling Stiles’ face towards his. Stiles let his eyes fall shut as well, and all Danny could feel in his eyes was this hot, uncomfortable sensation that left him blinking back stinging liquid that threatened to erupt.

He had to get out. Knowing he’d be lost in the commotion, he darted offstage, down the small set of steps, and gripped the railing at the bottom. The cold metal dug into either side of his palm. He was breathing hard, almost panting, but not quite letting himself get there. He dropped his head, then lifted it to the sky when he caught his vision blurring, willed away the water, and just waited for the cheering to stop.

Before it did however, he felt a warm hand on his back. The kind warmth he felt earlier. As the feeling encircled him and pressed against his body, he opened his eyes, already knowing it to be Mason, who released him but kept his arms around his body, tethering them close together. “Hey, man, what’s wrong?”

“It’s just…” Danny muttered. “I don’t know, I don’t fucking know.” And he didn’t. He didn’t understand the shame he felt, or the rattle in his voice, he didn’t get any of it.

“Look.” Mason began calmly. His voice calmed Danny slightly. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I do know it’s going to be okay.”

Danny watched Mason as he continued to try and cheer Danny up, his cheeks dimpling as he formed a smile he hoped Danny would replicate. With some effort, Danny summoned a small smirk, which lit up Mason’s face. Sighing away a drop of the tension in his shoulders, Danny thought how lucky he was to have a friend like Mason. Everyone was out there celebrating Theo and Stiles, and all Mason cared about was cheering Danny up.

At some point, Danny stopped listening to Mason. And at some point after that, he started kissing him.

Hungry, and wanting, he was pulling the warmth around him as Mason gripped him back and pulled him closer. His eyes shooting open, Danny suddenly jumped back, gasping for the air he’d been denying himself. What just happened?

Whatever it was, Mason looked shocked but thrilled. He didn’t step away, and Danny wondered if Mason wanted him to come back. He couldn't. “I- I’m sorry.” Danny said. “I need to go.”

Mason protested, but as the other harmonics came rushing down the stairs, Danny had already piled his belongings into his arms and was headed for the exit. For a second, he hesitated and turned back around, expecting his eyes to meet Mason’s, but his gaze travelled past the boy he’d just kissed to Stiles, who was standing behind wrapped in Theo’s arm. Stiles must have sensed it, because he looked back. He apologised with his eyes, the only we he could, and Danny froze. He swallowed the quiver in his throat, and nodded at Stiles with a hopefully convincing smile.

Aside from Stiles and Mason, no one really noticed that he left. And Danny was glad. Whatever just happened back there, it was all way too much for him to process. He headed straight home without a single word, and laid on his bed well into the evening, just feeling his heart beat. He couldn’t identify a single emotion he was feeling. For Stiles. For Mason. Even for Theo. And every time he thought he might work up the courage to think about it, he receded. He knew he’d need to face the music sooner or later. But for now, he wanted to feel nothing. So he just closed his eyes, tried to tune into his TV, and let his heart beat him to sleep.


	13. Say No To Solo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Sorry it's been longer than usual since my last upload. I've been trying to get my sleep schedule back on track and college has been kicking my ass, but I'm back into it and I really hope you enjoy the chapter! Please leave kudos and comments if you're liking the story, and bookmark to make sure you see updates!

“Okay, listen up.”

At Mr Hale’s instruction, the rehearsal room fell into abrupt silence.

“Obviously, it’s scary getting the very first Regionals heat, but we also got an early Sectionals heat, so we still have time to prepare. And _when_ we make it through Regionals, it means we have a solid five and a half months to prepare for Nationals. For those of you who are here for the first time, the Regional soloists are my choice and my choice only. I’ll walk around you all as you sing the song I asked you to prepare, give you all a shot at the climax, and then I’ll leave to make my decision. Clear?” he asked. Everyone nodded, apart from Stiles who was stifling a giggle at the word 'climax'. “Good. Those of you auditioning, finish warming up. We’re starting in two minutes.”

Danny gave Lydia a tight hug and wished her luck, then did the same with Scott before sitting down. Content with his decision not to audition, Danny actually felt relief that for once he was on the other side, not stressing about his voice and whether he’d be chosen. He’d almost forgot how it felt to not be stressed about audition.

Stress was still present, however, as Mason had been sat next to him for around five minutes now, and neither man said a word. Danny stared forward, Stiles and Theo annoyingly in his peripheral vision. They seemed to kiss every three seconds in small, dry pecks that made way more noise than necessary and sent the dregs of that melting feeling from the assembly through Danny’s body. And yet, he couldn’t stop paying attention to it.

He was thankful when Mason finally drew his attention. “Can we talk about what happened?” he asked quietly, so as not to disturb the people warming up. Or just kissing their boyfriends.

Danny tried and failed to avoid directly looking at Stiles and Theo as his head twisted to look at Mason. “Look, I don’t…” Danny trailed off a moment, before sitting up straight with a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I was having a really weird day. I was all emotional, and strange, and I don’t know, pissed off at something. And then I kissed you. And I’m sorry.”

“Danny.” Mason said, clipping off the end of Danny’s sentence. “I like you. I mean, I really like you. I have for a while. And I just need to know now, am I wasting my time? Or do you feel the same?”

He had to blink a few times while he processed what Mason said, and how he could respond. Danny had never thought about Mason like that. Well, not seriously. Mason was an attractive guy, and a very sweet one, and it’s not like the thought of kissing him hadn’t crossed his mind after a couple drinks at a party before.

But this wasn’t just a hook-up. Rumours of Danny and Mason had flown around since Mason joined the club, but Danny had always taken them as just that: rumours. It got pushed on Danny so much that he’d learned to associate insinuation of he and Mason with an eye-roll and a scoff. Now it was different. Now it was real.

“Okay, girls, we’ll start with you. Sing when I point at you, and when it comes to the big finish, you’ll all have your chance with it.” Mr Hale said loudly, drawing Danny from his thoughts. He looked to Mason, who nodded in understanding. They had to be respectful to those auditioning.

Allison, Kira, Lydia, Erica, and Malia all stepped up. Danny couldn't help but glance at a dejected Hayden behind him, whom he'd heard Theo tell she 'wasn't ready' to audition for a solo, and she'd only embarrass herself. Of course, that was one of few times he allowed Stiles out of his sight. Couldn't have him seeing the person he really was. And Danny couldn't expose it without inevitably causing yet another Drama. He hoped one day, she'd fully get out from under his thumb.

On top of the pressure of fighting for a solo, Lydia and Allison were also about to battle onstage rather than just off it. Danny hoped this wouldn’t be enough to break them, but standing steely eyed and determined five feet away from each other was the closest he’d seen them since Halloween. Though still technically together, it seemed like they were hanging on by a thread. Unable to catch her beforehand, Danny made sure to give Allison a supportive nod and thumbs up, which she accepted gratefully.

The buzz of the speaker as Mr Hale pushed play was like the bell at the start of a boxing match. First up was Malia. “So, your best friend screwed you over, acted nice when she not nice.” It was a strong start. She had the attitude and the voice. It’d be interesting to see her take the solo, but she had stiff competition.

With a point from Mr Hale, Lydia continued. “Here’s my secret strategy, it always works because…” She sang. Lydia’s voice was gorgeous, tremulous, and soft. It would be really interesting to have a voice as unique as hers on the song, and based on that snippet, she had a real shot. It just depended on whether she could stick that ending.

The chance to sing bounced back and forth to all of them, and as it did, Danny let himself think about Mason in the way he’d never quite let himself before. He was as kind a person as one could be, always there for him, and he really, truly cared for him. Sure, Danny wasn’t in the best place when he kissed him, but did that really mean he should turn it down? What if this could be good for him?

“I say no! I say knock it off with your notes, and your rules, and your games.” Allison blasted, returning Danny to the room. He forgot just how incredible Allison was when she was in the zone. The passion and energy she put forward was unmatched, and the other girls looked nervous.

When it came time to run the ending, their fears were proved right. Lydia’s voice wasn’t quite edgy enough to pull it off. Malia did a good job, but ran out of steam. Erica was stronger than ever, but she still had a little longer to go. Kira and Allison were close. It seemed like Allison knew how close she was to clinching it, because she gave it everything, and though Kira was a phenomenal vocalist, it looked like Allison’s stellar rock belt had her beat.

Everyone clapped as the short turnaround where the boys replaced the girls took place. “Great job, you guys.” Danny said generally as he clapped, before getting up to hug his friends. They all seemed pretty pleased, Most of all Allison, her iron grip of excitement just a little too tight around Danny’s neck when they hugged. As Danny sat back down, he saw Lydia take Allison into her arms, and congratulate her. They looked deep into each other’s eyes for a moment, before sitting down next to each other in their usual spot. Danny felt a surge of relief flow through his body. Once in a while, there would be a tender moment where it seemed the past couple months hadn’t happened, and they were back to normal again. Through all the hurt, they still loved each other. Danny wondered if he could get through that with someone. If he could love someone enough to get through times that hard with someone. If Mason was that person.

He turned to face Mason, whose eyes were drifting around the room. Maybe it was just the prospect of something romantic, but Danny noticed more than ever just how handsome Mason was. Skin smooth as marble and eyes like brandy, he really was a sight to behold. And unlike many of the men who looked as good as Mason, he actually had the personality to match. So why was he waiting? There was no good reason, Danny realised as he searched for one. This made perfect sense. “So,” Danny said, snapping Mason's focus back, “I don’t know how I feel. It… all this kind of came out of nowhere.” He explained. Mason’s lips pursed in assumed defeat, but then parted slightly when Danny took his hand. “But I want to know if this works. This- I don’t think you’re making a mistake.”

Mason nearly laughed in disbelief, bright sparks spitting from behind his brown eyes. “So, if I asked you on a date…” he began.

Danny felt his hand tighten around Mason’s. He thought that must be a good sign. “Well, are you?” Danny challenged.

“Yes.” He didn’t hesitate for a second more. Danny blinked, caught off guard by how assured he was. “Will you go on a date with me?”

Danny’s heart fluttered slightly. “I will.” He replied simply. Mason looked like he might lean in, but Mr Hale called down the boys to audition just in time to interrupt them. Scott, Isaac, Boyd, and Theo all headed down to the front to a cheer from the rest of the club In his mind, Danny noted that he didn’t move to lean in and meet Mason, but quickly shifted his focus back to his friends and Theo.

His happy heart quickly sank into dismay when it became clear Theo was out-singing everyone else auditioning. Not only was he blasting out the high notes with ease, he was performing his ass off. Clearly, he’d learned a thing or two since last time, and Danny was pissed. Because now he couldn’t even be justifiably annoyed if he got it. He gave Scott an encouraging smile, still holding out hope, but it seemed even he knew what was coming.

Finally, the song ended, and Danny aimed his applause solely at Scott, Isaac, and Boyd. He dreaded sitting around waiting for Theo to claim his prize. “Amazing work, everyone!” Mr Hale congratulated, rising to his feet. “I’ll be sending out an email with the rest of the music and the soloists listed, so if you’d like to leave early, feel free, but if you want to find out the soloists sooner… I’ll be back in ten minutes.” With that, he ducked out of the room to enthusiastic oohing from a room full of kids who were definitely sticking around.

Or they would, if Danny hadn’t seen the stomach turning image of Theo pulling Stiles in for a long, victorious kiss. He could see the self-satisfaction rolling off Theo as they stayed locked together for far too long. He willed Stiles to push him off, run away, hell, bite him. Anything to stop this. He just didn't understand why Stiles wanted this. Danny turned, and saw Mason sitting on his phone. He felt calmer. A few seconds later, he realised he felt ready.

Danny wasn’t sure just yet if this felt right, but it felt correct. It felt healthy. It felt like what he should be doing. So, he had to at least give it a try. He approached Mason, and leaned in close to him. “Hey, since we have the all clear from Mr Hale, why don’t we have that date right now?”

A smile swept across Mason's face. “Really?” he crooned, intrigued yet surprised. “You don’t want to stay to find out the solos?”

With a shrug, Danny pulled to his feet by the hand. “He’ll send out an email. I’ll give my congratulations tomorrow. So… what’s for dinner?”

“I know a place.” Mason assured. Hand in hand they walked out the door of the choir room, unbeknownst to the rest of the Harmonics who were knee deep in conversation or face deep in each other.

As they left, Danny wondered if anyone actually did see them leave. Would Allison and Lydia be thrilled to see the two of them finally together? Would Scott already be drafting a message asking him what was up? Would Stiles be as mad at Mason as Danny was at Theo?

Wait.

What?

No. Of course not. Why would he be?

He shook the thought away, had a great dinner, with a wonderful guy, and yet that question would never quite leave him. Even when he had his eyes closed, lips pressed softly against Mason's as he dropped him off that night. Even then when he tried his hardest to just be thinking about the man in front of him, the question lingered.

Why would he be?


	14. Lucky Thirteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this may be the longest chapter yet, which makes sense given that we've made it to Regionals! I'd probably consider this the mid-season finale. Please leave kudos/comments if you're enjoying, and bookmark for updates. Hope you enjoy!

“Thanks for letting me ride up front.” Mason said sarcastically. Danny smiled, never averting his eyes from the road.

“Yeah, well,” Danny grunted, stretching as best he could while still keeping one hand on the wheel. “Lydia stayed with Allison last night, so she wasn’t here to call shotgun.”

That information sent Mason’s head spinning to face Danny. “Really? I thought they were…” he trailed off, but Danny knew exactly what he meant. Nothing was private in Glee club, especially not relationships, and everyone had seen Allison and Lydia circling the drain since October. But, much to Danny's relief, they seemed to be on a steady incline.

“Sometimes things just get better, you know? They stay the same a long time, but then out of nowhere it gets good.” Danny shrugged.

Mason tutted in response. “Wonder what that’s like…” he murmured. A small sensation of hurt pushed into Danny’s chest. “Hey, come on, I’m kidding.” Mason assured, but Danny wasn’t convinced.

It was moving kind of slow between them. It had only been around two weeks, but things hadn’t really… changed. They sat next to each other at Glee club, Danny gave Mason a ride to school and back, they got dinner some nights, but really if they weren’t kissing every so often Danny would barely notice that he was dating someone. And given that wasn’t Mason’s first comment like that, Danny knew it was starting to frustrate him. As bad as he felt about it, he just wasn’t sure what to do. He liked Mason, but until he felt that heat, that dizziness, that spark, he couldn’t act like he did. He was confident it would come with time.

Or if not confident, hopeful.

They pulled up to the school after a few minutes of awkward silence, and saw the rest of the club by the bus, spotlighted by a white street lamp in the pitch black winter morning. As they approached, Danny saw Lydia and Allison holding hands, and shot them both a grin they gladly returned.

“Okay, now that we’re all here, let’s go over today’s itinerary.” Mr Hale began. Given that all competition itineraries were exactly the same, Danny felt no guilt zoning out. His eyes drifted to the excited faces around them, and settled on his bus buddy. Stiles.

Things with Stiles had been weird. Danny couldn’t even remember the last time they’d properly spoke. Had it really been the Thanksgiving assembly? No, Stiles did show up for breakfast that weekend, but once again he didn’t stay long. Another date with Theo. It seemed they were getting stronger every day. Or so he thought, until he saw something between Stiles and Theo he hadn’t seen in weeks: space. Even in the dark, Danny still saw this gap between them, and Theo’s arm stretched all the way out to get around Stiles’ shoulder.

Mr Hale’s voice swelled to an inspiring yell, and Danny clapped on instinct. Everyone was doing the same, and Hale looked satisfied. The Harmonics started to pile onto the bus as Danny switched his gaze back to Stiles. He seemed to reluctantly receive a kiss from Theo, who went to find his bus buddy.

A sudden peck to the cheek pulled Danny’s focus back. He realised it was Mason, and kissed him quickly. “See you later.” He said.

Danny waved him off just in time for Stiles to appear next to him. They were the last to climb onto the bus, and did so without a word. Just a small smirk and a nod to each other. As they walked to their seat close to the front of the bus, Danny wondered why his knees felt so weak. As he sat down, he realised it was because of how hard his heart was beating. Was he really this nervous about sitting with Stiles? Maybe it would be awkward, given how distant they’d been, but not scary enough to warrant his body’s reaction.

“Huh. Déjà vu.” Stiles said, without any intention of expanding.

Danny quirked an eyebrow as he turned to the smiling man next to him. “What?” he inquired.

“You and me, sitting on a bus, heading to a competition. Feels like Sectionals again.” He explained, with needlessly emphatic hand gestures that for some reason put Danny at ease. He supposed if Stiles seemed so fine, so normal, maybe this wouldn’t be awkward after all.

He scoffed. “Yeah, it’s almost like somebody specifically told us to sit together on the way to competitions.” He said as sarcastically as he’d ever spoke.

Stiles turned to him slowly, face incredulous. “Who hurt you?” he asked, making Danny laugh slightly. “No, really. Who made you like this? Or did yo just pop out the womb like ‘oh, nice, fluorescent lights. That’s just what I need after nine months in a dark cave.’”

Danny laughed much harder that time. “Don’t call my mom’s uterus a dark cave!” he chastised as he wiped away a tear.

“Hey, what’s wrong with caves? They’re popular tourist attractions. They get hundreds of visitors.” Stiles paused as a joke came into his head. “Just like-“

“Stop it!” Danny interrupted, sending them into another fit of giggles. “God, you’re a dick.”

“You know you love it.” Stiles said with a wink. The fact he didn’t immediately roll his eyes or snark back at him worried Danny. Oh, God, what if he actually did love it? “We haven’t talked in a while, man. How you been?” Stiles asked, distracting Danny from the internal crisis he just caused.

“Pretty good.” Danny replied. It felt oddly like a lie, though he didn’t think it was. “Obviously, Mason and I are… you know.”

“Travelling magicians. I’ve heard good things.” Stiles joked. Danny pondered what exactly he and Mason were at this point. More than friends, but by how much he wasn’t sure. “You made his clothes disappear yet?” he asked.

Danny did roll his eyes that time. “No, I haven’t.” He said simply.

“Why not? If I was dating Mason I’d be all over him.” Stiles said brazenly, earning a slight gasp from Danny.

“Dude!” he exclaimed. “What would your boyfriend say if he heard that?” he teased, but Stiles’ sudden drop into silence worried him. “Stiles?”

The other man’s face was illuminated in gold as the sun slowly started to bring light back to the sky. “I, uh…” He searched for words, bringing his voice down to what was a whisper for him, but general talking level for everyone else. “It’s not going super well.”

Fighting the corners of his mouth into a downwards position, he put a hand on Stiles’ shoulder. His frown sunk in as he felt how tense Stiles was, though he seemed to relax slightly into Danny’s touch. “Dude, what’s up?”

Stiles sighed. “So, when we first started dating, he was really sweet. I mean, you saw the assembly.” Danny nodded as he concealed a grimace. “But, I don’t know, I’ve noticed some things recently and… I think you were right. I don’t think he’s changed. Not much anyway.”

“How do you mean?” Danny asked, before quickly adding, “I mean, if you’re cool talking about it.” He felt small bumps being dealt to his lower back. They must have been going over some pot-hole ridden road.

His consideration seemed to set Stiles more at ease. His shoulders dropped and he leaned back in his seat. “He just… he’s always talking about Regionals, and about how he and Allison are going to kill it, and how they were obviously the right choice, and I was listening to him a couple days ago and I just thought, wow… he hasn’t asked me one question the entire time I’ve been here.” He said. Danny sucked air through his teeth. “Right? It’s like it’s all about the next competition, and I’m like what happened to the guy that liked me so much he asked me out in front of the whole school? And he’s always kissing me, which, you know, is nice but I feel like that’s the only part of the relationship I add anything to. And I’m more than just a pair of lips.”

“Yeah, you’re also shiny hair and uncoordinated limbs.” Danny interjected.

Stiles motioned to him enthusiastically. “Exactly! And thank you, I really tried with my hair today.” He said. Danny chuckled, knowing all that meant was that he washed it the night before then attacked it with a brush and some hair wax for a couple minutes the next morning. “Anyway, I still kind of wanted to give him a chance, but… then he told me he talked Hayden into not auditioning for a solo. For ‘her own good.’ Like, who the hell does that? She must have been crushed.”

Pursing his lips, Danny nodded. “Yeah, I heard about that. Dick move, but I can’t say I’m surprised.”

With a sigh, Stiles leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “I know. Me too. And I can’t be with someone who doesn’t even surprise me when they do something like that.” He hinted.

Danny blinked a couple of times while he made sure he understood Stiles right. “You mean…” he began, but Stiles cut him off.

“Yeah. It’s over.” He confirmed. Danny covered his mouth as it couldn’t help but grin. He knew he shouldn’t be, but he was ecstatic to be rid of Theo. His happiness quickly faded though when he realised how upset Stiles still was. He continued, “I haven’t told him yet, cos I didn’t want to mess him up today but yeah. I’ll tell him at dinner tomorrow.” Stiles looked sad, but not just about the breakup. There was a tightness to him. Like he was still holding something back.

“Is that all you’re upset about?” Danny asked gently. “Cos you can tell me. I’m here for you, man.”

Catching his lip between his teeth as it threatened to wobble, Stiles let out a slightly shuddering breath. “It’s just this is my second boyfriend in, what, a few months? Last time it all erupted so bad we nearly lost Sectionals. This time I’m dating… well, Theo.” That took the edge off a little as they both smirked, but the mood didn’t quite shift. “And I know that’s only two, but… they’re my only two. And they both went so bad so fast. And Liam’s doing so much better now we’re not together, I just can’t help but wonder if… you know.”

“Yeah. I know.” Danny replied sympathetically. “Look, Stiles. You know me. I’d never miss an opportunity to tell you if you were the problem.” That got a much needed laugh. “But seriously. You’re not. You’re a funny guy, Stiles. Everybody knows that. But you’re a lot more than that. You’re sweet, and fun, and you always see the good in people. Maybe to a fault. But hey, that’s a pretty good fault to have.”

Stiles sat and took what Danny said in, letting the tension drop from his body a little. Unsure of quite how to process it, he gave Danny a gentle punch on the knee and said, “Thanks, man.”

It was endearing, if a little sad. And Danny decided if there was ever a moment to break out that dreaded word, it was now. When Stiles really needed it. “Hey, anything for a friend.” He said casually.

Stiles whipped all the way around in his seat, eyes wide. “Did you just say what I think you-“ he buzzed.

“Yes.” Danny interrupted, rolling his eyes as Stiles pumped his fist. “Don’t make me regret it.”

“I won’t.” Stiles promised. Weirdly enough, Danny believed him. They looked at each other a moment, and suddenly Danny felt fuzzy. Like he was surrounded by wool, but so was his brain. It broke when Stiles had pulled Danny into a tight hug. Stiles hugged hard. Like a kid with a teddy bear. It might have hurt if he gripped any harder, but instead it just felt warm, secure, and gratifying. Like Stiles was thankful from the bottom of his heart to be hugging him. Danny placed his own arms around Stiles and squeezed gently, then noticed himself trembling. He also noticed his heart jackhammering again and wondered if Stiles could feel it, being pressed so close against him. “Thanks, man.” He said, letting go after perhaps too long a long time, and yet Danny still didn’t quite feel done.

“So,” Danny began, trying to distract himself as much as he was Stiles. “Worst scary movie you’ve ever seen. Go.”

That set Stiles off straight away, and Danny with him, for the remainder of the bus journey. They finally pulled up to yet another hotel, though this one was slightly larger and seemed just a little bit more fancy. Though maybe that fourth star on the hotel sign was just making Danny imagine things.

As they parked, everyone stood up to start getting off the bus, and before Danny had even risen from his seat, Theo abruptly walked past he and Stiles, eager to get off the bus. Danny looked at Stiles, who was having the same terrifying thought he was. “Please tell me he wasn’t close enough to hear.” Danny whispered, trying to retroactively be quieter than he was.

“Try right behind you.” Scott groaned from the seat behind. Danny peered over and saw Scott with his hands on his head. Oh, God. Scott was Theo’s bus buddy. How had he not noticed them before he sat down? “I kept kneeing your chair trying to get you to shut up! Didn’t you feel it?”

“Oh, God.” Danny whined. “I thought you were potholes. I thought I was just feeling potholes!”

Scott threw his arms out in exasperation. “Potholes you can only feel on your back?!” He questioned. In hindsight, Danny felt like a moron.

“So…” Stiles breathed, drawing Scott and Danny’s attention. “Theo knows I’m about to break up with him?”

“We all do.” hissed Allison, as she marched down the bus holding Lydia’s hand. “I sent you like fifteen messages begging you to shut up! And you!” she continued, pointing at Danny.

Lydia looked around awkwardly. “Yup. Me too. Texted you a lot of times, Danny. It was like watching a guy stop his car on train tracks without being able to warn him about the… well, the train.” She finished abruptly, clearly worried. Oh, no, Danny thought. If Lydia was freaking out, they were in serious trouble. Danny took out his phone and saw messages from every. Single. Member. Of the Hills Harmonics. With more and more capital letters every time. Stiles’ eyes said he was the same. Lydia continued, “Stiles, I love you, but I could hear you ‘whispering’ with earplugs in.” she chastised. And she was right. Danny kicked himself for not picking up on that. Or the very basics of his surroundings.

“Okay, so let’s get this straight.” Erica chimed in from the back of the bus. “Theo, the biggest asshole in a group of _performing arts kids_ just found out he’s getting dumped in a humiliating display everyone including Mr Hale and Ron the bus driver heard?” the horrid silence confirmed she had all the facts correct. “Awesome. Well, it was fun while it lasted. We’ll have another crack at Nationals next year.”

“Sorry, seniors.” Boyd said with genuine sympathy, as he and Erica squeezed past to get off the bus.

Danny, Stiles, Scott, Lydia, and Allison created a choir of groaning, sighing, and whining as they finally made their way off the bus. Everyone was staring at them, besides Theo, who Danny saw in the distance already heading into the building while being chased by Mr Hale. Christ. It was like they’d already lost.

The day passed achingly slow. Aside from singing in their allotted rehearsal time, no one made a sound, scared of anything that might set off the oncoming storm. Theo knew. Everyone knew. And much like a loud Theo or a normal Theo, a quiet Theo was dangerous.

They sat outside the hall, the muffled sound of average singing audible through the thick wooden doors. Normally, it would give Danny comfort to hear a team they could comfortably beat, but comfort was the last thing he felt right now. He fought not to look at Theo, but the few times he broke, he was just staring straight ahead blankly, as if he’d been replaced by a stone statue of himself. It was unnerving, and new for him. Clutching his stomach that had been in knots for hours at this point, he looked to Stiles, who seemed to be feeling similar. He mouthed, “You okay?” at him, and he nodded. It was clearly a lie, but what was there to do at this point.

“Hey, how come Mr Hale doesn’t sit outside with us?” Malia asked, as if nothing had happened. They all froze, waiting for the sudden break to kickstart the apocalypse. They held a few seconds, before finally Allison spoke up.

“Tactical advantage. We might not be able to see what’s going on, but he’s keeping track of what’s popular this year, what themes people are going with, and what’s scoring high. It’s a pretty cool method.” Allison complimented. Danny looked at them both. Their blithe expressions were betrayed by their frightened eyes, but at least they were trying to make the atmosphere a little more normal. He wasn’t convinced it was the right plan, but there was no stopping it now.

Erica scoffed. “Yeah, which is why we win Nationals every year.” As usual, her snark was met with gentle joking boos that gave the situation some levity. Okay, Danny thought, maybe this was the right move. His chest was already feeling a little less tight. “Boo all you want, we came sixth last year!” she reminded. The boos got louder, and she chuckled in response.

“Hey, guys?” Lydia said. “Maybe we shouldn’t be booing with a performance going on.”

Her reminder stopped the booing in half a moment. They were back to silence, but this time it was much more comfortable. “Hey, when are we on?” Theo said gently. Danny couldn’t tell what was off about his tone, or if anything even was. Maybe he was just paranoid.

Everyone seemed to be sharing his fear. Just as Theo asked, a loud applause rang from indoors. “Looks like it’s one more group then us.” Scott said quickly.

“So, what, fifteen minutes or so?” At Theo’s increasing specification, eyes started to shift around the room. They all felt it. They begged in their minds for it not to happen, but they knew whatever Theo had been silently cooking up all day, he was about to unleash it.

“Uh, yeah.” Scott confirmed. To their horror, Theo stood up and started walking towards the revolving glass door to the parking lot. The Harmonics looked around at each other in horror.

Allison stood and took a few steps towards him. “Theo, where are you going?” she called out.

He turned back briefly, but kept walking. “Home.” He said bluntly.

“Theo, wait. Please.” Danny pleaded, jogging to meet Theo before he could get to the door. He put a hand on Theo’s chest to stop him in his tracks. “Dude, come on, I’m sorry about Stiles, but you owe this team-“

“I owe you shit!” He roared in response, throwing Danny’s arm off of him. Danny faltered backwards. He had never heard Theo talk like that. “And don’t fucking ‘dude’ me.” He turned from Danny to the rest of the group, who were now mostly on their feet. “What, you all hate me? You all think I’m an asshole? Fine! But I’m fucking _good_ at what I do. That’s why Mr Hale chose me to sing over every fucking one of you! And you all want to embarrass me then ride my ass to Nationals? No. Fucking. Way. So, here! You got your wish! I’m done with this fucking group. Good luck winning Regionals without the asshole you hate so much.”

And with that, he was gone. To a bus stop, or wherever. Danny didn’t really see. He was too busy getting back to his group, who were collectively freaking out. Pacing, muttering, breathing heavy and fast, and for good reason: they were about to go onstage, and they had no performance. Maybe Stiles’ déjà vu comment earlier was more apt than Danny thought. Speaking of Stiles, he seemed to be on the verge of tears, sat curled into himself in a small blue armchair. Danny walked straight to him through the terrified crowd. “Hey, hey, hey. It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.” Danny assured. It only sent tears rolling down Stiles’ face.

“I fucking did it again. This is the second time we’re going onstage with no performance and it’s because of me again…” he whimpered.

“Stiles.” Danny said firmly but kindly, grabbing Stiles’ head so he’d look at him. “This is not your fault. He made his choice.”

“And me hitting Danny wasn’t your fault either.” Liam said from behind. Danny and Stiles turned to face him. “That was all me. I screwed us over. And it’s not happening again!” That last part was a call to attention for the Harmonics, who abruptly stopped and joined Danny and Stiles in directing their attention to him. “We’ve been here before. We thought we were screwed. Then you all went out there and won, and that’s the whole reason we’re here. Because we can overcome shit like this.” One by one, the Harmonics started to nod slowly in agreement, their fear solidifying into determination. Satisfied, Liam turned to Danny, and indicated him to take the leads.

Staring out, Danny saw all eyes were now on him. He swallowed, and knew if there was a time to prove Mr Hale right about him being a leader, it was now.

Danny tightened his fists and took a deep breath in. “We have not worked this hard all year, or the last two, or three, or four, to give up here. If we give up now, he wins. Let’s show Theo he’s not the whole team. Let’s show him he’s not enough to rip us apart.” General groans of agreement turned into clear, firm statements of intent. “Okay, we all know these songs backwards and forward. We can make this work. Who’s taking Theo’s solos?” he ordered.

“You.” Stiles said without hesitation. Danny’s turned to him in confusion.

“He’s right.” Scott chimed in. “You’re the best singer out of all the boys. Like it or not, it’s true.” He motioned to the rest of the boys, who seemed to be agreeing.

“No.” Danny said firmly. “Scott, you’re just as good as me. We’re all as good as each other. And I had my moment. Scott, you deserve this. Or Isaac, Boyd, hell, Stiles you were there with him rehearsing, you must know it better than all of us!”

“I have an idea.” Boyd said suddenly. The group looked to him as one, surprised to hear him speak out. “We split it. Take the parts most comfortable for us, that’ll make up for the lack of rehearsal, and take turns. I mean, what better way to show Theo we’re stronger as a group than he is alone?” he was smiling, no, beaming as he finished, and it was infectious. Danny felt that bubbling of excitement in his chest. This was the right idea.

“Okay!” Isaac said confidently, clearly following his friend’s lead. “Boyd and I split the lowest parts. Stiles, Mason, Liam, you guys take the middle sections. Scott and Danny, high notes.”

Danny was impressed. More than that, proud. Confronted with their biggest crisis yet, it was Liam, Boyd, and Isaac who were saving their asses. Maybe this is what they should have been doing all along. Giving everyone the chance to take the reigns.

“Okay, here’s what I think,” Allison began. “We leave ‘I’d Rather Be Me’ as it is, let’s not stress ourselves out more.” Everyone nodded emphatically. “You guys split Theo’s part in ‘Favorite Son’ and ‘High Hopes’. I’ll split my part in ‘High Hopes’ too.”

“Wait, what?” Lydia interjected.

“It’ll look imbalanced if the boys are all split and I’m taking a lead. It won’t make sense. Besides, Boyd’s right. It’s time we attack this like a team.” She instructed. “Me and Kira high, Lydia, you and Erica middle, Hayden and Malia low. Questions?”

“Yes!” Hayden cried. “I can’t take a solo! I’m not ready, I’ll- I’ll sink it for us. We’ll lose.”

“No, we won’t.” Danny said. She turned to him, somewhat surprised. “You’re much better than you think you are.” He assured. She smiled, still nervous, but comforted enough to go with it.

“Okay, I hate to take over but we’ve got to restage this.” Malia said, stepping out to the front of the group. “Any conflict over who’s singing what line, squash it fast. We do not have time for fighting. But we do have time to finish this if we focus. ‘Favorite Son’ crew, step up. Girls, figure out who’s singing what line in High Hopes.” She commanded, her confidence fuelled by this adrenaline and passion Danny hadn’t seen in her before.

“You’ve got this, Malia.” Mason said as the boys all fell into their opening position.

They steamrolled through the numbers, doling out lines and reworking staging like professionals. As grossly sentimental as he knew it was, Danny was emotional. Watching them all take the reigns and fighting for this after such a huge setback was amazing. They weren’t the team that barely got onstage at Sectionals. They were the team that just lost their lead soloist and were still rallying towards a win. In that moment, they were unstoppable.

Five minutes later, covered in a collective sheen of sweat and resolve, they got their call to go backstage. Patting each other’s shoulders, whispering last minute confidence boosters to each other, and trying to regain their breath, they prepared to go on. The girls were up forst.

Danny watched from the side of the stage as they performed, mouth agape in awe: they were _incredible._

All that fire from outside had sent them into overdrive. They were explosive, passionate, and aggressive, but still perfectly on pitch and in sync. “They’re killing it.” Danny said to himself.

“And we will too.” Mason said. Danny jumped a little, surprised he didn’t notice Mason so close to him. “How about a kiss for luck?”

“What? Oh, sure.” Danny said, pressing a kiss onto Mason’s lips before turning back to the girls. The silence that followed said it wasn’t quite the moment Mason was hoping for. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’m just-“

“It’s okay.” Mason said. “We’re all shaken up. It’s cool. Let’s just go out there and kill this.”

As the song ended to rapturous applause the girls filed off as the boys replaced them, sharing steely stares of grit, single-mindedly focused on killing every second of this performance.

The music started, and Danny couldn’t tell if his heart had stopped, or if it was just beating so fast it felt that way. Either way, he didn’t let it distract him as he melted into the music. They moved like one performer split into seven bodies, and sang with that same unity. Danny wondered if he blacked out, because the applause came sooner than expected, and he was suddenly overcome with this prickly feeling all through his body, like he was producing electricity. The lights dipped for a moment as the girls returned to the stage. Lydia placed her hand on his shoulder and faced him, per the choreography, and whatever power he felt before doubled when he shared that look with his best friend.

As the intro played, the audience began to clap rhythmically. He and Scott walked towards the middle, singing straight at each other until the girls joined in. The Harmonics fell into the routine one by one, moving like the ocean: fluid, but with immense strength. Their solo lines became duets, became trios, with more and more intricate harmonies, most of which were thankfully in place before Theo’s abrupt exit.

The music thumped straight through Danny as he let it move him straight through to the very last beat. And right as the lights shut off, a standing ovation. They had done it. Heading back outside, they all clung to each other to keep from falling to the ground, in fits of ecstatic laughter. They carried each other back to the couches, downed all the water bottles they picked up on the way, and collapsed. They were exhausted, but they were amazing. Unlike anything Danny had seen before. 

So delirious from exertion and slowly draining adrenaline, they barely even noticed the wait as the rest of the groups finished performing. It was only when Mr Hale came out to greet them, eyes red with already cried tears, that they realised the competition had finished. “That… was… incredible!” he exclaimed, met with the biggest cheer they could muster in their exhausted state. “So… I see Theo decided not to perform.” He said more solemnly.

“Screw him!” Erica shouted, perhaps too enthusiastically, but even those shushing her found it hard not to laugh.

Even Mr Hale seemed to be concealing a smile. “I thought I convinced him to stay for the competition. I’m sorry I couldn’t.” he apologised. Stiles looked to Danny guiltily, and Danny told him with his eyes that it still wasn’t his fault. He accepted it gratefully. “But more than that, I’m sorry we’ve not been attacking numbers like _that_ the entire time. I mean… wow. I’m amazed by all of you.”

“It was Boyd who came up with the idea to split it.” Isaac said, throwing his arm around his bashful friend.

“Hell yeah it was!” Erica squealed, hugging into Boyd from the other side. “And Liam made this big speech, then Danny, then Isaac made the plan, and Allison split the girl part and Malia was like this powerful, sexy choreography dragon-“

“I’m sorry?” Mr Hale interrupted. Erica realised her inside thoughts had made it through her mouth and looked embarrassed, though Malia seemed flattered.

“You know what I mean. Everybody nailed it!” Erica finished, earning another Harmonics signature cheer.

“That you did.” Mr Hale confirmed. “And when we get to Nationals, that is how we’re attacking the numbers.”

Lydia leaned forward in her seat. “Hold on, _when?_ ” she caught.

Looking around quickly to make sure the coast was clear, Mr Hale leaned in and lowered his voice. “Now, I never say this, you all know that but… we are just waiting to collect a trophy at this point.”

Danny’s jaw dropped. Mr Hale wasn’t lying, he was never so brazen. They must have been as good as they felt.

Before they knew it, they were onstage again, this time in the Top 3. He hated to be cocky, but the other two teams didn’t look confident at all, and Danny didn’t blame them. Third place was dished out to an all-male group called Amazing Bass. They collected their trophy, received a respectful clap offstage, and left the Hills Harmonics standing opposite Geek Chorus, whose performance costumes seemed to be Star Trek inspired, though not quite in a copyright infringing way. Though they felt confident, Danny still let doubt plague the back of his mind. Mason took his hand, and Danny squeezed once before letting go, too jittery to be anchored. Finally, the sharply suited announcer yelled out “… The Hills Harmonics!”

Pastel balloons poured down from above as they jumped, screamed, and held each other. Danny turned around to face his celebrating team, and was met with Stiles leaping onto him, legs wrapped around his waist and arms around his shoulders. Danny cradled Stiles in his arms and spun him round before letting him back to the floor. Their eyes met, and Danny thought about how far they’d come these past few months. From ranting in that diner about how much he despised him, to holding him tight while celebrating their latest victory. Allison ran over with the massive trophy, which the group collectively held over their heads as the crowd clapped. As they carried it off, Danny turned back a moment to see Allison and Lydia trailing behind. They stole a quick kiss from each other as they walked hand and hand, and Danny’s heart leapt for them.

It was the perfect ending to a perfect victory. Theo had lost. Their place at Nationals was secured, and the team was stronger than ever. Danny was elated, as happy as he’d ever been. Danny was sure he shared a hug and some kind words with every member of the group, including an extra long one for Stiles. He deserved it. He'd had a real rough day, and he pulled through like a champion. Danny was happy to finally be his friend.

It wasn't until he was back in the car with Mason that Danny realised the one member of the group he hadn't congratulated was the one he was dating. He did so as he dropped him off, but the moment had passed. Mason didn't seem as excited about the win as everyone else, and the guilt Danny felt told him he was likely to blame. He said he was fine, but Danny feared otherwise. If things were going to tick upwards for them, it had to be soon. As he drove home, he remembered the Harmonics' planned trip to the Christmas Markets coming next week. That was bound to be romantic. 

Yeah.

He'd go from today's big win, to winning big with Mason. If nothing else, Christmas magic was bound to give them both those warm, fuzzy feelings. What could go wrong?


	15. Burn The Mistletoe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love a holiday special, and I hope reading this Christmas chapter helps you get into the spirit. Thanks so much for reading, and for your kudos/comments/bookmarks! If you haven't already and you're liking the story, please consider leaving kudos and/or a comment, it really does mean a lot. Thank you!

Blanched in slowly melting droplets of snow, Stiles sat alone, looking around at the warm, twinkling lights adorned on the stalls around him. Though a gentle smile sat on his face, he still seemed melancholic. He had since the high of winning at Regionals had worn off. Danny knew Stiles had plenty friends he could go to if he was upset, but he wondered if Stiles would rather suffer in silence than feel like a burden.

“Here you go, babe.” Mason said. Danny looked down to see the paper cup filled with hot chocolate that his boyfriend was handing him.

“Thank you.” He replied as he took it gratefully into both hands. The way it burned his frozen hands as the sweet scent drifted up to his nose made him feel more Christmassy than any song or TV special ever could. 

The Beacon Hills Christmas Market was a staple of the season. The games, knick-knacks for sale, food, drinks, and rides were as jolly as could be, albeit ridiculously expensive. And going each year with the Harmonics was a tradition Danny knew he would miss.

As always, they started together, enjoyed the rides and the merriment of each other’s company, then went in their own directions in smaller groups which would occasionally mix and switch throughout the night. Danny was sure Stiles went with Scott and Kira, but there he was all by himself. He couldn’t help but worry.

“… Danny? Danny.” Mason said. His tone said he’d been trying to catch Danny’s attention for a while now. “What’s up? You okay?” he asked. Danny gestured over to Stiles, and Mason squinted, more confused than concerned. “What’s wrong with him?”

Danny pursed his lips. “I don’t know. Maybe I should go talk to him?” he thought aloud.

As Danny tried to walk towards Stiles, Mason grabbed hold of his hand. “What if he just wants a minute to himself?” he suggested. It gave Danny pause. “Come on. If he’s still there later, or he gets more upset, we’ll go talk to him, but right now the line for the Ferris wheel is long and it’s going to keep getting longer…” he hinted.

Danny chuckled, but his eyes still drifted to Stiles. He forced himself to look back to Mason. “Okay.” He said. “Let’s go.”

They walked hand in hand towards the long queue. Danny looked up, narrowing his eyes out of fear of catching a snowflake to the eye. He thought it strange how the white clouds were there, but invisible in the darkness. Still, the snow was there. All around him. Catching onto his jacket and sinking in. Even if he couldn’t see where it came from, it still found him.

He was drawn from his thoughts by the sound of crying quickly moving past him. He looked over his shoulder to see Malia scurrying away, the bobble on her beanie bouncing as she went. Mind now firmly out of the sky and back in the fair, Danny now heard the unmistakable sound of a public Allison and Lydia fight. Danny took a deep breath as his heart dropped. They were so close to being back to normal. He turned to Mason, who was similarly disheartened.

“Someone should talk to Malia.” Danny said. If this was ever going to be resolved, Malia had to be a part of the conversation, not just the spark in the powder keg.

Mason nodded in understanding. “I’ll get our spot in line.” He promised. Danny smiled, and pressed a short kiss to his cheek.

Alone on a bench wrapped in Christmas wreathing, Malia sat with tears slowly dripping down her face. The grip she held around her own hands said she was willing them not to fall, but they did anyway. He approached her slowly, making a concentrated effort not to be threatening. “Hey.” He said softly. She looked up, and immediately her embarrassment doubled at being noticed. “Mind if I sit?” he asked. She nodded, but stopped him as he went to sit down.

“Wait a second.” She croaked as she dusted the thin layer of snow off the other side of the bench. A good portion of it landed on Danny’s legs and fell into his shoes, but it was the thought that counted. Danny sat, as Malia breathed a shaky sigh. “I really didn’t mean…” she began, but she trailed off. She tried again. “I don’t want to… I’m not trying…”

Danny put a hand on her shoulder, seeing how worked up she was getting. “It’s okay.” He assured her. It did little to help. “You’ve been a pretty big part of this whole situation, but I feel like no one’s ever stopped to ask you how you feel about it. I just want to listen.”

She nodded, slightly more composed. “Thank you.” She sniffled, managing a small smile. “Okay, I… I know we haven’t talked all that much since I joined the club but… I don’t know, I trust you, Danny. To be straight with me.”

“Last girl who trusted me to be straight ended up pretty broken hearted, I have to warn you.” He joked. She laughed quickly. It clearly wasn’t the time for a joke, but maybe that was why she needed one. Danny thought for a moment, maybe Stiles was onto something with that approach.

“You know what I mean.” She said. Danny nodded, and she took a long pause, like the words she wanted to say had to climb up her throat to escape her mouth. Finally, she was ready. “I like Allison. I mean, that’s pretty obvious. I have since that whole duet thing. But I really, really wasn’t trying to break up her and Lydia. But, I mean, you know how it is when you really like someone. It’s hard to see them with someone else. You just want to get any time you can with them. And every time Lydia sees us together, I know how it looks and I feel bad, but I just want to… to talk to her, to be around her. I’m not trying to steal her.” That last sentence was desperate, like something she’d screamed a thousand times in her head but never got to say. Danny held open his arms, and she leaned into them, accepting the hug.

“I get it. It’s a tough situation. But I’m not the one you need to tell.” Danny said. She released her hold on him and sat back.

“What if she doesn’t listen?” Malia worried. “I mean, God knows I probably wouldn’t in her shoes.”

“Hey.” Danny said, encouraging her to meet his eyes. “Lydia doesn’t want to fight. Neither of them do. I think if you were honest with her, she’d appreciate it.” He advised. She took a second, unconvinced, before she finally stood with determination.

“You’re right.” She replied. “I need to talk to Lydia. I should have done it weeks ago.” She went to walk away, then turned back. “Do you know where she is?”

Danny nodded, and got up to walk with her. If he knew Lydia, she’d have headed straight to the central Christmas tree, a mighty giant covered head to toe in lights and shimmering decorations. She’d make any excuse to walk past it when they were there, no matter how many times she’d seen it that day.

There she was, in her tight camel jacket and knitted beret, glowing in the light of the tree. Wading through the thick crowd, Danny called out her name. She turned, and her face went dark at the sight of Malia trailing behind him. “Lydia, I know you’re upset. I understand. But Malia has something she wants to say to you. Will you please listen?” Danny pleaded.

She clearly wasn’t huge on the idea, but she also trusted Danny not to steer her into a trap, so she reluctantly turned her body and looked Malia straight in the eye. “Okay. Let’s hear it.” She said bluntly.

Anyone could lose their nerve to that icy stare, and Danny could tell Malia was close, but she hung in there determinedly, even taking a step forward. “I’m sorry. For everything.” She said sincerely. It was a solid start to softening Lydia.

She told Lydia everything, how she never intended on stealing Allison, and understood her anger, and slowly but surely, Lydia’s arms uncrossed and her expression showed understanding. Once Malia had finished speaking, she gave herself some time to take it all in. She sucked on her bottom lip, then spoke. “Thank you. I’m sorry too. For Halloween, especially, but also for like… everything. We should have talked about this a lot sooner. From what I hear, you’re actually pretty cool.” She admitted.

Perhaps for the first time, they smiled at each other. It was soft and unsteady, but it was miles from where they started. “You too. And look, just so we’re getting it all out there, I never ever would have kissed Allison when you were together. I didn’t even mean to when it happened, we were just talking about you two being on a break and one thing led to another and…”

“What?!” Lydia snapped, eyes wide in shock.

“Lydia?” said Allison from a few feet away. She clearly had the same thought about where to find Lydia. But, Danny thought, she never could have expected the storm she had just walked into. “Look, can we just-“

“You kissed her?!” Lydia accused. Allison froze. Glancing beside Lydia, she finally noticed Malia standing close by, and Danny watched every ounce of colour leave her face.

“I- I…” she stuttered, brain overloading as she tried to find the right words to make it all okay. “When we were taking a break, otherwise I never would have-“

“You knew!” Lydia interrupted again, her voice crackling like a log on a fire. “You knew that I was right. If it wasn’t for the fact you were tied to a girlfriend, you would have been all over her the second you saw her!” she yelled. Danny thought back. Lydia never even told him they were officially on a break, not in those words. 

“No, that’s not fair!” Allison fired back. Her strength was waning. “When we were together, I… It was always- it was only ever…” Danny and Malia shot a glance to each other. This was it. For real this time.

Lydia let out a laugh of despair. “Not fair. Wow. Well, you know what? If you did it when we weren’t together, you wanted to when we were. And you said I was crazy, and jealous, and I didn’t trust you…”

“You didn’t trust me!”

“And I should have?!” Lydia bit. Allison shrunk down to nearly nothing. “How long was it? Between us putting things on hold, and you kissing her?” she interrogated. Allison’s silence said things no one wanted to know. “Tell me it was at least a day.” She begged.

Allison’s tears ran silently down her face. “I don’t want to be with her. I want to be with you.” was all she could manage to say.

“This is it.” Lydia said simply, her own tears falling now, thick and fast. “We were barely making it past me worrying about it, I can’t get over the fact it actually happened. We’re done.”

It was like all the music cut out, the lights dulled, and their hearts stopped. It felt like hours passed with Allison’s mouth hung open, searching for words that didn’t exist. Words that would bring them back together. “Okay.” She whispered finally, admitting defeat.

Lydia turned away from her, and faced a shaking Malia. Though her face was wet and puffy, she still looked at Malia with dignity. “I want you to know I don’t blame you. You had no obligation to me. We’re fine. And really, thank you for telling me. I had to know.” She spoke slowly to avoid losing her hold on herself.

“Thank you.” She replied. “And thank you, Danny. He’s the one that told me to talk to you.” She said as brightly as she could with how low she felt. “I’m really sorry, Lydia.”

Allison had already walked away, and Malia set off in the opposite direction. Lydia turned her focus to Danny. “I can't believe this.” she breathed.

Danny shook his head. “Me neither. She never mentioned the kiss to me. I didn’t even know you guys took a break.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” She said. “I didn’t want it to be… real, I guess. Like, yeah, we were on a break but I didn’t really think- well, I hoped she wouldn’t…”

“I get it, Lyd.” He assured, before pulling her into what he was sure was the longest, tightest embrace of their friendship. He pressed a kiss to her skull throw the snow on her hat. “You want me to take you home?” he offered.

She broke away. “No. I just… want to stay here a while. I’ll be okay. Really.” She said. “I’d kind of like to be alone.”

“Oh, of course.” Danny said stepping back. “I’ll keep my phone on vibrate. If you decide you want a ride back, call me.” He insisted. She quickly agreed, before turning back to her tree.

As much as it hurt him to leave her like that, she made it clear she wanted to be alone. He had to respect that.

A buzz in his pocket told him to check his phone. It was Mason wondering where he was, saying he was almost at the front.

“ _Allison and Lydia just broke up._ ” He replied.

In moments, Mason was typing. “ _Oh, God, I’m sorry. Want to just skip the wheel and head home?”_ he offered. It warmed Danny.

Danny had barely sent away his “ _yes please”_ before he heard his name being called from nearby. On his walk away from Lydia, he had stumbled on the spot where Stiles was still sitting, the snow he had let fall on him piled comically high. “How you doing?” he asked shakily, grinning as though he wasn’t sat slowly turning into a snowman.

“Jesus, Stiles. You must be freezing.” Danny said disapprovingly, though he couldn’t deny the smirk Stiles was causing in him, just sat their stupidly smiley and covered in snow. “At least dust yourself off.”

Somewhat taking his suggestion, Stiles shook himself like a wet dog. Raising a hand to protect his face from the Stiles-blizzard, Danny felt even more snow land in his shoes. Great, he thought.

“Careful what you wish for.” He chuckled, still shivering.

As Danny sat down next to him, he took the scarf from his neck and wrapped it around Stiles. “I wish you’d tell me why you’ve just been sitting here by yourself. You okay, man?”

Stiles shrugged. “It’s dumb. Don’t worry about it.” He said, but not convincingly enough for Danny to buy it.

“So, one downside to being my friend: I’m not going to stop worrying about it.” Danny smirked. Stiles rolled his eyes, but underneath seemed glad Danny was taking an interest.

“I always wanted to go to one of these things with a boyfriend.” He explained. “And twice this year, that seemed like a possibility. But here I am. By myself. And, you know, it's not _not_ my fault. I don’t know, it just got me thinking about all my fuck-ups. Which is super fun.” He was looking down sadly now. It pulled on Danny’s heart.

“So, you fucked up a couple times.” Danny waved off. “Who hasn’t? Besides, a lot of that crap wasn’t your fault. Nowhere near. And just think, if you hadn’t made seventeen years’ worth of mistakes, you wouldn’t be a Regional Show Choir Champion.”

Stiles chuckled. Then he laughed, and Danny joined in. “Yeah, you got a point there. All worth it for that big golden trophy.” He joked.

“But seriously,” Danny continued, “You’re a really good person, Stiles. And even good people fuck up. Difference is, good people feel bad about it. They try to do better. And as long as you’re doing that, you shouldn’t be putting yourself down.”

Danny thought the glassiness in Stiles’ eyes might warn of oncoming tears, but the other man managed to blink them back. He hummed to himself as he looked around, taking in Danny’s words, before turning straight to him. “We really are friends, aren’t we?” he said matter-of-factly.

“We really are.” Danny replied.

Almost as one, they both looked out at the market. The golden light, glittering stalls, and gently falling snow. It filled Danny’s heart, and he knew Stiles’ was just as full. “It’s a nice night, isn’t it?” Stiles mused, as he rested his head on Danny’s shoulder.

“Yeah.” Danny said, his breath catching slightly. “This is nice.”

“There you are!” groaned Mason, turning the corner to see Stiles and Danny next to each other. Annoyance flickered across his face.

“What?” Danny asked, confused.

Mason brandished his phone in his hand. “I texted you?”

Sure enough, once Danny pulled out his phone, he saw a number of texts from Mason asking where he was. “Oh, shit. Sorry, I didn’t notice.” Danny explained. He wondered how. His phone had been on vibrate, after all. It was lucky Lydia didn’t call.

“It’s cool.” He said, though besides the temperature, it didn’t feel cool. “You ready to go?”

Danny turned back to Stiles. “You going to be okay?” he asked.

“Yeah.” Stiles said, standing up. “I should go find Scott anyway. And thank you. Really.” Rather than the long hugs Danny had been receiving throughout the night, Stiles went for a friendly punch on the shoulder. Danny was surprised at first, though really he shouldn’t have been, and then he appreciated the Stiles-ness of it.

“No problem.” He said, returning a similarly soft shoulder punch. They just stood a moment, smiling at each other, and Danny thought about how last year, he would have thought it would take a Christmas miracle for he and Stiles to become friends. Turned out all it took was a few months of reluctant extra-curricular contact, a few fights, some standard show choir drama, and here they were. No Santa or angels required.

“So… are we going?” Mason pushed.

Danny’s trance broke. Maybe it had been a few moments longer than he thought. “Yeah, sorry.” He said, jogging towards Mason. “See you, Stiles.” He called back, before walking away with Mason.

It wasn’t until later that night that Danny realised he and Mason had done nothing romantic together that entire trip. No wheel, no buying each other cheesy knick-knacks. He couldn’t even remember what happened to that hot chocolate he bought him. They couldn’t even manage a trip around a Ferris Wheel without getting interrupted. The night went on, and each Harmonic sent their “home safe” message to the group, thankfully including Lydia, Allison, Malia, and Stiles, which should have been a relief, but meant his mind went to singly worrying about his relationship with Mason. It was like they had a pane of glass between them they just couldn’t break. They were together, but they weren’t really _together._

Eventually, he got sick of fretting. He could deal with the Mason situation later. But that was his last Harmonic Christmas. He wanted to focus on the good parts. The rides they went on as a group. Liam winning a huge reindeer plush in a ring toss game. Erica besting Boyd in a race to finish a jumbo-churro. The snow. Sitting, watching the snow. Stiles’ head gently nestled on his shoulder as they took in the beautiful sight. Those were memories worth hanging onto.

There had been fights, breakups, and a whole lot of tears, but Danny thought it important to hang onto the positives. He cycled through all those good moments, over and over, until it was just one playing over and over. Him and Stiles, watching the snow and admiring the markets. He didn’t question why. He was done worrying for the night. There was no need to analyse it. It was just nice.


	16. Pulling Apart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're into the New Year at Beacon Hills High School, and so the time has come for some New Year's Resolution. This was a weirdly difficult chapter to write, but I really hope you enjoy.
> 
> Remember to leave kudos and comments if you enjoy, and bookmark for updates :)

“Alright,” Mr Hale said loudly with a clap, calling the Hills Harmonics to attention. “We are officially on the road to Nationals. And we’re in a good place! Morale is high, so is motivation, and you’re a really strong team. Which is why I feel comfortable setting up… a good old fashioned competition.” He announced. Oohs filled the room from the club, who were excited to be part of a battle Theo wouldn’t be able to turn into a tense and dramatic battle royale. Mr Hale continued, “I’m selecting Team Captains, who will split you into one team of six and one of seven. You’ll prepare a number to perform next Wednesday, and the winning group will be decided by me. And your prize? Whichever team wins gets to decide one of our numbers for Nationals.”

Oh, my God, Danny thought as he gave Mason's hand an excited squeeze. That was a hell of a prize. 

A lot of responsibility, but a hell of a lot of power. And everybody wanted a say in what they’d perform at Nationals, especially those of them who only had one competition left.

“So, without further ado, your team captains are-“

“Um, Mr Hale?” Hayden interrupted. Everyone turned to see her walk down to the front with trepidation in her face. “I- well, somebody has something they want to say. And I think we should get it out the way now before we officially get started.”

Though clearly a little bit shell shocked, Mr Hale nodded and took a step to the side. “Okay, the floor is yours.”

Hayden thanked him, then looked to the door. “Theo?” The hearts of the Harmonics collectively stopped as Theo nervously walked through the door. None of them had even seen him over Christmas, let alone spoken to him. Wounds from Regionals were opening, and Danny’s heart was beating hard. Looking around, he could tell from the uncomfortable shifting in their seats that everyone felt similar.

“What the hell is this?” Liam snapped. “You think you have the right to walk back in here?!”

“Liam…” Malia pleaded, gently taking his hand as he went to stand. His jaw slowly unclenched as he took a few deep breaths, before sitting down.

Theo stood at Hayden’s side, looking like he wanted to be anywhere else. He seemed almost powerless, was never something anyone saw him admit to being. “I know you’re all angry. I can’t say I’ve totally gotten past it yet either, but Theo has something he wants to say to you all. Will you please hear him out?” Hayden asked.

A few seconds of silence spelled disaster for Theo, but something was pulling on Danny. “I think he has a right to say his piece.” He said. Mason looked at him in disbelief, and Danny nodded to him, indicating to him that he knew what he was doing. Not that he honestly did. But Theo really did seem different standing up there. Like what happened at Regionals shook him to his core. It could be an act, but maybe he really had changed. Had he not given Stiles a chance, Danny wouldn’t have the friend he did now. If he hadn’t given Liam a chance, the poor guy would be more miserable than ever. Theo deserved at least an opportunity to explain.

He tipped his head gently to Danny in appreciation, before Hayden sat down. “I know you’re all mad at me. God knows I would be too. I’ve been fucking with all of you for years.” He admitted. Someone, possibly Erica, scoffed from the back of the room. It made Theo wince. “At the start, I told myself I was just playing the game. Doing what I had to do to get noticed. I wanted to be the star, and I… I didn’t know if I could be that on talent alone. But then I started hurting people. Just to get ahead. I’m sorry about that. Stiles…”

His eyes shifted to Stiles, who looked deeply uncomfortable. “I really did like you. A lot.” Theo continued. “But it didn’t start like that. When I saw you and Danny in that stupid Halloween maze, I thought… I don’t know, I thought you had a moment. It looked like you were into each other. And I wanted to fuck with that. Fuck with Danny.” Danny’s hand tried to close around Mason’s for support, but the other man let him go before he could, folding his arms by his chest.

Uh oh, he thought. That couldn’t be good. He shared a brief glance with Stiles, who seemed just as confused as him. There was no moment in the maze. They were just… pressed against each other for a long time. On the ground. Staring into each other’s eyes. In retrospect, Danny understood Theo’s point. Which, given Mason's reaction, didn't spell great things for him. He shook his thoughts away and put his attention back on Theo.

“But the more time we spent with each other, the more I liked you. And then I got a lead at Regionals, and I felt unstoppable. But when I heard you say all of that stuff on the bus, I realised that that solo I’d fucked so many people over for didn’t mean anything. Because everyone else was friends with each other, and even my own boyfriend hated me. And I freaked out. I wanted to hurt everyone as much as you hurt me, but… It didn’t make me feel any better. I felt like shit leaving you guys like that. One person hurt me and I took it out on all of you. Including the one person who actually thought I wasn’t the fucking worst. Hayden, I’m sorry. Sorry I used you, sorry I made you play this stupid game instead of actually helping you, sorry for not being the friend you deserved. And Danny…”

Danny took a deep breath. It shook a little bit on the way in. He couldn’t help but feel bad for Theo, more than he thought he ever could.

Theo bit the bullet, and said his piece to Danny. “I’ve been an asshole to everyone, but this year I… I really went after you. And I crossed the line a lot of times. I’m sorry. Really. You didn’t deserve it.”

In another first of the day, Danny finally looked into Theo’s eyes as he spoke and truly believed what he was saying. “Thank you.” He replied. “I’m sorry everything happened the way it did.”

“Me too.” He mused, a melancholic look in his eye. “So, I am officially quitting the Hills Harmonics. But I’m not leaving because I’m mad anymore. I’m leaving because I haven’t been a good enough teammate to justify staying. I tried to mess with your chances to get to Nationals, it wouldn’t be fair for me to just hop back on and go there with you. So… Yeah. I’m sorry for everything, and I wish you guys the best of luck for Nationals.” He finished.

Sticking with his choice to leave seemed to be the move that finally convinced everyone he was genuine. The game was over. He awkwardly waved and headed to the door, to some quiet goodbyes. Stiles stood up. “Theo?” he called. Theo turned back around. “I’m sorry too. For hurting you. And for what it’s worth, I think this was really brave of you.” He said sweetly.

“Thank you.” Theo replied softly. Hayden hugged into him for a moment, as he took a long look around the choir room, sad but accepting, before he finally left.

It was sad, really. Theo had been a harmonic for four years, and he was talented. But he realised too late that although solos were nice, but that wasn’t what Glee club was about. Still, Danny felt sure this would be good for Theo in the long run. Maybe this would finally be what it took to make him a better person. He hoped so.

“Okay.” Mr Hale began tentatively, after what Danny realised had been a very long time. He looked at Mason, who seemed to deliberately be facing away from him, before shifting his focus back to his teacher. “Obviously, there’s been some dissent in this club over the years. But he was still a Harmonic, and I won’t tolerate any more drama around this. So, from this point on, the matter is closed. It happened, he apologised, and we’re moving on.” He said firmly but kindly. The room silently agreed. “Okay. So, back to our teams project. Captains are… Scott and Lydia!” he exclaimed, in a jarring shift of tone.

Everyone cheered them down to the front, but it felt a little half hearted. The transition back to a fun rehearsal was taking a minute, and Scott and Lydia’s faces said they felt similarly. A coin landing heads up decided Scott would pick first.

“Danny.” He said snappily, as Lydia grunted in frustration. Applauded by his friends as he walked to Scott’s side of the room, Danny couldn’t help but feel pretty damn proud of being the first pick. Even if Theo’s exit left a sombre mood he wasn’t managing to shake just yet. He might have had an easier time moving past it if Mason’s eyes weren't burning a hole in the ground. Danny realised Mason didn't even know what happened in the maze. And he and Mason weren't even together at the time, not even close. Of course they had something to talk about, but was he really this mad over some vague "moment" that happened what felt like months ago.

Lydia interrupted his thought process by choosing Kira. Kira excitedly skipped over to join Lydia and shot a playful glare to Scott, who gasped loudly.

“What about us?!” he cried dramatically. “What about everything we’ve been through?!”

“But what about trust?!” Kira mock-sobbed in response, as Scott dropped to his knees and prepared to keep going.

“Stop.” Mr Hale said abruptly. “We’ve heard you do that duet. Twice. It’s time to move on.”

The couple snickered along with the rest of the room as Scott got back to choosing his team. “Okay, okay. Stiles.” He selected. At the sound of his name, Stiles jumped up and joined his friends. He swung his arms around both men’s shoulders, which Danny found welcome until he saw Mason rolling his eyes. Danny unfurled himself from Stiles’ arm. For a moment, he seemed offended, but when Danny subtly motioned to his simmering boyfriend, he understood. “You okay?” he mouthed. Danny nodded.

While they’d been distracted, Lydia had chosen Isaac. “I’m not letting Scott turn this into a ‘boys vs girls’ thing. It’s archaic.” She reasoned. Though as he looked out on the remaining Harmonics, Danny thought it might also be a hint. Malia and Allison were still out there, and if Scott didn’t scoop them up, Lydia would need to be on a team with at least one of them. They were of course trying to be civil, but a tightly knit group project with her ex and said ex's fling wasn’t exactly what Lydia wanted to start off the new year with.

If it was a hint, it was one Scott missed, as he next picked Mason, who seemed to stand next to Danny almost reluctantly. “Are we okay?” Danny whispered.

“We’ll talk after rehearsals.” Mason responded coldly. Though confused and admittedly worried, Danny tried his best to put it out of mind as Lydia added Liam to her team. A glint of recognition crossed Scott’s eye as he looked back and forth between Lydia and the remaining harmonics.

“Allison, get over here!” he said abruptly, before Liam had even finished his stride over to Team Lydia. Scott had made it pretty obvious what was happening, but Allison seemed grateful as well. It wasn’t like she’d want to be on a team with her ex-girlfriend a mere couple of weeks after breaking up either.

Back and forth they went, until Scott’s team had racked up Boyd, then finally Malia, where Lydia gained Erica and Hayden, and they were finally ready to start working.

At Scott’s suggestion, they quickly settled on doing a Paramore song. Then came a hushed battle where they tried to decide between “Ain’t It Fun”, “Still Into You”, and “Hallelujah”, where Danny couldn’t find it in himself to fight any particular corner. He was happy to sing whatever, he just wasn’t happy being in argument purgatory with Mason. He wouldn’t even look at him, and he couldn’t exactly address it in front of his whole group. He spent the entire group discussion wrapped up in his head, worrying about what was to come.

Finally, the time came for rehearsals to end.

“Great, I’ll start splitting up ‘Ain’t It Fun’ tonight, everyone learn the lyrics for Monday.” Scott commanded to his excited troop. Danny agreed with as much fervour as the rest of them, though he hadn’t even realised a final consensus was made on a song. What else had he missed? He decided he’d message Scott later to ask, but first there was clearly an issue that needed attending to.

Danny got his bag and jacket, only to look around the room and see Mason was already walking out the door. Frustrated, Danny ran to follow. “Mason!” he called to his boyfriend who seemed intent on not slowing down. “Okay, are you forgetting Theo said _Halloween_ maze? As in, a month before we even started dating?” Danny continued.

Staring straight ahead, Mason replied, “Not yet.”

Danny was confused into silence as he walked slightly behind Mason, unsure if he was to follow or leave him be. As they exited the building and headed in the direction of Danny’s car, he felt sure he’d made the right choice, but still didn’t understand what the hell was happening. Unlocking the door as they approached, Danny and Mason climbed in either side of the vehicle. “What is going on?” Danny asked with a slight shiver as he turned on the engine. He didn’t plan on going anywhere, the January air had just frozen him on the way to the car and he was in dire need of any warmth his car could offer him.

“First of all, I’m walking home, so don’t start driving anywhere. Second of all, I wanted to be in private when I said this to you.” Mason began. Danny’s eyebrows crinkled with concern. Mason finally looked at Danny, who saw not hurt, not pity, but cold acceptance in his eyes. “Danny, I really like you. And I really wanted this to work. But there is no point in us being together when you are never going to feel about me the way you feel about Stiles.”

Danny blinked. In the moment, he felt too shocked to even be hurt. “What?!” he almost laughed.

“I’m not an idiot Danny.” Mason continued through gritted teeth. “I know what’s happening here. I was a consolation prize while Stiles was with Theo, and now he’s single it’s only a matter of time before you two get together. Sooner we end this, sooner you too just happen to fall in love. Might as well kick-start the process.” He shrugged, though the grate in his voice said he was disguising some emotion.

Danny’s heart started hammering as the reality of what was happening set in. “Mason, there is nothing happening between me and Stiles!” he insisted.

“Not yet.”

“Not ever! You realise you’re basing this off of something Theo said, when he didn't know the whole story, and can I remind you, happened when we weren't together.” Danny reasoned.

“You know, I thought I was crazy. Jealous. I thought maybe because I liked you so much, I was just imagining that I liked you way more than you liked me. Imagining that we said we were together more than we actually acted like it. Imagining that every time Stiles was around, you only wanted to talk to him, or comfort him, and even kissing me goodbye before we got on the bus to Regionals was a distraction from staring at him.” Mason said, volume growing. "I mean, for God's sake, the beginning is supposed to be the part where we're in this sickening honeymoon phase. I shouldn't already feel like I'm competing with someone for your time."

“He’s my friend!” Danny retorted. “Of course I’m going to spend time with him when he’s upset, or get worried when he’s wrapped up with a guy like Theo. That doesn’t mean anything!” 

“Yes it does!” Mason insisted, tears starting to prick at the corner of his eyes now. “Danny, there is one reason Stiles used to piss you off so much and it’s because you couldn’t take your eyes off him. You couldn’t help but notice everything he does and everything he says, and you could never understand why. You process a crush like an eight year old!” He paused after that and took a breath, blinking slowly, while Danny sat with his jaw dropped, too baffled to be upset. “You know what colour his eyes are?” Mason asked.

“Brown.” Danny replied, feigning nonchalance pretty well for someone now acutely aware they were getting dumped. “What does that matter?”

“What colour are Lydia’s eyes?” Mason asked.

Shit, Danny thought. Come to think of it, he’d never properly looked. He wanted to say blue. But before he could say anything, his thoughts were interrupted.

“Scott’s? Allison’s? You could probably make a guess, but could you tell me for sure?” Mason pressed.

After a moment, Danny said, “That’s not fair. That doesn’t prove anything.” He said. Because it didn’t. Eye colour wasn’t something he thought about much, processing Stiles’ was merely a fluke. “I know yours are brown too.” He continued, a clutch at straw. His chest grew more and more heavy by the moment. Sure, he and Mason hadn't been going out long, but this wasn't just some guy he started seeing. This was Mason. They'd been friends for years, they knew each other, and now he was getting accused of using him as a placeholder? How could he think that?

Mason simply rolled his eyes. “And I know you don’t want to be with me. I just wish you could have figured that out before I had to. You’ve been leading me on this entire time.” He stated, so cold no one would know he ever cared about Danny at all.

That finally sent Danny’s tears over the waterline and down his face. A shaking mix of anger and hurt swelled inside of him. “Well, if that’s the kind of person you think I am, I’m glad you’re breaking up with me.”

Mason didn’t say anything else. He just got out of the car, letting a gust of icy wind flow in to meet Danny, and walked away.

Breathing hard, tears rolled down Danny’s face as his brain tried to catch up with what just happened. This was he and Mason's third year of being in the Harmonics together. Before anything else, they were friends. And he really thought Danny was doing nothing more than leading him on? What did that say about their friendship? What did it say about Danny? Being broken up with was never easy, but being accused of that had him feeling like a truck had driven straight through him.

And all this time, Mason had these doubts about him and Stiles and never once asked him about it. He and Stiles were friends. And that was the whole of it. But the more Danny thought about it, maybe he'd given Mason enough reason to doubt that without even knowing. After all, Mason was a good person as well. He wouldn't just make it up.

His head was swimming. He felt hurt, confused, guilty, and he had no clue what to do about any of it. Consumed by his thoughts, Danny drove home and went straight to his bed. He thought, thought more, thought himself to tears that lulled him to sleep, and when he woke up the next morning, he still wasn’t sure of a damn thing. If anything, he felt more confused.

When he considered how he was going to face Mason on Monday, the horrible memory came flooding back that he wasn't just in the same club as Mason that week. He was working with him. In a small group. Performing a song which, from his absent-minded listens that night, he knew featured the lines “Ain’t it good to be on your own? Ain’t it good you can't count on no one?” And of course, Stiles would be there too, none the wiser to any of Mason's accusations. Or, come to think of it, the fact they'd even broken up.

The thought made him nauseous.

Though, at least now he felt sure of one thing: this teams assignment was going to suck.


	17. The Sleepover Choir

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember to comment, leave kudos, and bookmark if you're enjoying! Thank you so much for reading :)

The teams assignment sucked. Hard.

And as Danny paced the walkway Scott’s house with a sleeping bag and wearing an old pair of pyjamas, he couldn’t imagine it getting better. He hadn’t even pressed the buzzer when Scott opened the door with a slightly manic grin. “Danny!” he exclaimed. “Come in buddy, you’re the first one here!”

“Really?” Danny wondered as Scott pulled him through the door, closing it behind him. He had specifically gotten there half an hour late to avoid that. He thought at the very least Stiles would beat him there, given how much time he spent at Scott’s anyway.

Following his friend into the living room, Danny looked around Scott’s impressive living room. His eyes then settled on Stiles sitting on the couch. “Hey, Danny.” He said, sipping from a glass.

Danny waved then turned to Scott. “I thought you said I was the first one?” he asked, as Scott handed him a glass of whatever Stiles was drinking. “And what’s this?”

“Stiles basically lives here, that doesn’t count. And it’s a rum and coke.” He explained. Danny thanked Scott and took an appreciative sip. If anything could make the coming night easier, it would be alcohol.

“You’re going to need it.” Stiles said, echoing Danny’s thoughts and drawing a look of annoyance from Scott. “I mean, come on, man, you know no one wants to do this.”

“They’ll have fun when they get here!” Scott insisted. “Besides, I had to do something to combat all the post-break up awkward. Not my fault we're the most incestuous glee club in the country.” He grumbled. Stiles and Danny had to agree. If they passed around solos the way they did each other, no one would have to fight for a spot to sing ever again. “No offence, Danny.”

“None taken.” Danny responded, only lying slightly. Scott was right. Working with an ex, or in Allison and Malia’s case, a fleeting hook-up with disastrous results, was making this whole experience super uncomfortable. Everyone felt it. And when they practiced, it showed in their performance. But it wasn’t as if Danny had any say in the matter; he was dumped. And Mason still hadn’t said a word to him since. “But I’m just saying, Mason was my first Harmonic. You’ve dated Allison, Isaac, _and_ Kira.”

Scott conceded, “True.” Before taking another drink.

“Why a team sleepover, man?” Stiles asked, half laughing. “To watch a boxing match on pay per view, you don’t even like boxing.”

Scott dropped his head forward and groaned. “I told you all to keep tonight free because I thought we’d be basically done and we could just have a party, but we suck, so I figured ‘what’s a good way to bond with people fast’?”

“And you chose sleepover? One where you specified no alcohol?” Danny pressed further, now laughing along with Stiles. “You are so lucky no one has the heart to tell you no.”

“It was the first thing that came to my head! Besides, all the corporate team building retreats were booked.” He replied sarcastically. “And we couldn’t just have a party, because break-up plus drunk equals fighting, crying, and broken glass.”

“So why the hell am I drinking then?” Danny retorted.

“This is just for us.” Scott said. “For the guys. And it’s just the one. It’ll get us buzzed enough to get through the awkward part unscathed and then we’ll be fine. If anyone ever gets here.”

Danny was sure one drink wouldn’t make him feel a thing, and a shared look with Stiles said he thought the same, but it was a sweet gesture nonetheless. Though the notion that the “awkward part” wouldn’t be the whole thing was an ambitious one.

The doorbell rang, and Scott leapt towards the door. “Mason!” Scott greeted, welcoming the person Danny wanted to see least into the house. He seriously thought he might rather see Theo walk through the door.

He walked in, smiled, and asked Scott where to drop his sleeping bag. Scott gave him directions, which he followed upstairs. “Good to see you, Mason.” Danny said. He was completely ignored. Scott and Stiles sucked air through their teeth as Danny took a long drink. “Great start.” He remarked.

The rest arrived within the next half hour. Allison and Malia arrived notably separate, without sharing so much as a glance, and Boyd arrived last to a room of people silently staring at a TV in pyjamas. Malia jumped off the couch to help him with his sleeping bag, or more accurately to make an escape from the room, which kickstarted small pockets of conversation. Danny mainly chatted to Stiles, while Allison spoke to Mason. Scott jumped between them to try and bridge the gap, but Mason wasn’t letting that happen.

Danny knew if they were going to become a solid team, he and Mason had to be on at least okay terms. He got his shot to catch the other man alone when he went to refill his drink. "Go get him, dude." Stiles whispered, some much needed encouragement, as Danny took his own cup to the kitchen, finishing it off on the way.

As he walked in, he saw Mason pouring some clear liquid from a water bottle into his soda. “I thought this wasn’t really a drinking party.” He commented. Mason didn’t even twitch. “Or do you just like your lemonade watered down?”

“I don’t want to do this, Danny.” Mason snapped, before sighing and finally turning back around. “Yeah, I’m drinking. So what? What kind of eighteen year old throws a sober sleepover, anyway?”

Danny chuckled, but it clearly wasn’t a comment for him to enjoy. “Look, is this… kind of weird? Sure. But we wouldn’t be doing it if we could get along enough to perform one song together.” Danny explained. Mason rolled his eyes, but Danny could tell he understood. “Look, we’ve got Nationals in a few months. We need to find a way to be okay with each other. Look, I promise you I wasn’t leading you on. I get things were going slow but that had nothing to do with Stiles, or any other guy. Can you just accept that?” he pleaded.

Mason sighed, as if he was considering it. “No, Danny.” He said finally. “And even if the way you acted wasn't because of Stiles, that wouldn't have made it any better. But let’s be clear, you’re only lying to yourself when you say that.”

Danny was getting frustrated. What was that even supposed to mean? “I’m not the one who ended things.” He said bluntly.

Mason couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, but you started them when you shouldn’t have. I just did what you weren’t brave enough to.” With that, he disappeared back into the living room, as irate as ever. As Danny turned, he saw Mason brush past Stiles.

“Hey.” Stiles said softly. “Everything okay?”

It was at that moment Danny realised he still hadn’t told Stiles exactly why Mason had ended things. Not knowing exactly how to explain it, Danny just skirted around the subject.

“Yeah. I mean, not great, but apparently people are drinking, which I’m all for. Feel like it? I rolled a bottle of vodka into my sleeping bag.” Danny offered.

Stiles nodded his head emphatically, his eyes wide and desperate. “Please, this is killing me.”

Chuckling, they both filled their cups about three quarters with soda before heading back through the living room towards the stairs. But when they passed the door, they realised Malia had come back and was generously pouring something into everyone’s cups. She noticed them and grinned. “Hey, want some?” she offered.

Both men looked accusingly at Scott, who was tipping his cup back into his mouth. Once he’d stopped, he threw his arms up in defeat. “The awkward part was taking too long, it’s time to accept the inevitable and drink.” He accepted.

From that point, the night got better. Conversation was flowing a lot more freely when alcohol was, especially after some Never Have I Ever. A kind of cliché party game, Danny thought. But it meant he hadn’t gotten a glare from Mason in a while, which was all he really wanted. Scott was wrong. If anything, the alcohol was making things better. Maybe if they all did a shot or two before the performance, they’d be fine.

The conversation started to die down, and the boxing match was still a while off. Nervous looks around the room suggested a return to uncomfortable silence was on the horizon, so Scott hatched a plan. In a moment of absolute quiet, he jumped up from his seat and yelled “Hide and seek! Drunk! In the dark!”

There were a few moments of silence.

“What?” Boyd asked, confused but somewhat intrigued.

“You heard the man, hide and seek drunk in the dark!” Stiles said supportively, high fiving his best friend.

Scott sat back down and looked around everyone, now beginning to get excited by what started as a simple distraction technique. It worked well, Danny thought. He’d even distracted himself. Scott went into greater detail about his idea. “Standard rules: one person counts to 10, we turn all the lights off, run and hide somewhere in the house, seeker seeks, we can only use our phone torches for light. So, my house. Pretty big. But not too big.” He looked around the room for support, which everyone gave him through nods and selective mumbling. “Exactly! And we’re drunk, which makes things fun. And if we turn the lights off it adds this whole other spooky level, right?”

Though he didn’t exactly have a way with words, he was winning the group over. “I think it could be fun.” Malia said, to louder agreements.

“Okay, but one condition.” Boyd began, a small smirk beginning to pull on his mouth. Everyone leaned in towards him. “One.” He said. Danny was confused. He had already specified one condition. “Two.”

Oh.

Now he got it.

With shrieks of excitement, everyone whipped out their phones and dashed from the room as Scott flipped every light switch he saw. Danny started for the stairs, but quickly caught himself, assuming that would be the first place Mason would go. He wondered if going against that instinct would serve him well, and in his wondering, he didn’t realise Boyd was already at seven. Stressed, Danny pattered as soundlessly as possible across the wooden floors as Boyd finished his count.

Intentionally heavy footsteps that slowly approached were all Danny could hear. He was currently out in the open, and now had to shut off his light to avoid being found. Blinking hard, hoping that would somehow adjust his eyes to the dark quicker, he tried to feel the wall across the room, hoping for a door or something, a little bit more protection than open ground. After a moment, Danny realised he couldn’t see Boyd’s torch light . That second of clear thought also made him realise Boyd actually had headed upstairs first. Nice thinking, Danny thought to himself. Now he had a moment to find a nook to hide in.

A white light rose behind him. “Danny?” said a whisper. He turned around to see Stiles sitting in a small closet shining a torch up at him. “Get in here, quick.” He demanded. Danny took his instruction and clambered in, trying to carefully position himself comfortably while Stiles shut the door. After a few more moments of wriggling, Danny realised this closet was far too narrow for both of them to sit comfortably.

“This was not a hiding space meant for two people, Stiles.” Danny scolded.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Stiles breathed with the quietest sarcasm he’d ever heard. “Did I take you away from your great hiding space in the middle of the kitchen?”

Danny rolled his eyes as he continued to move around. “Just let me try and figure this out.” he said quietly. Stiles let out a low grunt as he too began to manoeuvre around. Shoulders to the neck, knees to biceps, and chest to chest were all interesting positions they landed in trying to find a comfortable one. Shockingly, none of them stuck long. “Wait, wait, hang on.” Danny said in a hushed tone. “I think this is okay.” He was crouching, facing the door, while Stiles faced the side wall. “I just need to keep moving my legs.”

“Oh, no…” Stiles muttered as Danny rocked side to side on his toes, brushing against Stiles as he did. “Danny, I…”

“Stiles.” He hushed, continuing to try and keep the blood flowing in his legs. “You’ve got to stay quiet, we-“ Danny wasn’t interrupted by Stiles speaking, or Boyd finding them. No, it was frankly something he never thought he would be interrupted by. “Stiles.” Danny whispered. “What is that?”

Something was poking into Danny’s hip.

He hoped it was something Stiles picked up off the ground to prank him, a duster or the end of a broom, but that hope was quickly dashed when he felt it… strain against him. It hadn’t even occurred to him that the little bit of extra space came from him being between Stiles’ legs. “I am so sorry.” Stiles gasped. Danny couldn’t see him, but he could just imagine how red his head was.

Face.

How red his _face_ was.

“It’s fine.” Danny breathed, voice quivering. “Let me just…” He pushed himself as tight as he could against the opposite wall, but he could still feel it just as strong as before. “It’s following me!”

“Well, there’s not exactly any place for it to go!” Stiles hissed defensively. Danny was silently calming himself, repeating in his mind that it’s a perfectly natural reaction. He questioned whether the reaction he was having was quite as natural. Then Stiles continued, “Well… there is one place.”

Danny hoped Stiles could somehow sense him incredulously turning his head to face him. But the moment he heard Stiles tittering, it set him off too. It rose to a contained giggle, then laughing that gasped and gulped air to try and remain silent. Until, unsurprisingly, the closet door swung open.

Boyd shined his torch down onto them, shaking his head. “I could hear you guys from upstairs. At least give me a challenge.” He teased. “Uh… Stiles is that…”

“No!” Stiles yelped, scrambling out of the closet to his feet, accidentally toppling Danny. He hated how cold that spot on his hip felt now. “And keep that torch pointed up here.” Stiles insisted. As Danny stood, he noticed Stiles’ hands bunched protectively in front of his hip poker in an attempt to hide it. He just hoped no one noticed his hands in a similar position.

Boyd walked them back to the living room, heads hung in shame, but still lightly giggling. “In with the other bad hider.” Boyd taunted, as he shot back up the stairs to seek the rest.

As Danny walked back into the living room, eyes taking a moment to adjust to even the low light of the lamps, he saw Allison looking at them inquisitively. “You were hiding together?” she asked, a brow quirked.

Danny snorted. “Yeah, it was a real bonding experience.”

“Okay, I’m going to the bathroom.” Stiles huffed, effectively teased.

Danny turned to him. “Want me to come?”

“No!” Stiles tried to yell, but he couldn’t help himself laughing. He rushed off, and Danny turned his attention back to Allison.

“Do I want to…” she began, but Danny shook his head. “Got it.” They poured themselves a couple of drinks to nurse while they waited, and took the time alone to set up their sleeping bags in some prime spacious positions, before sitting back down on a sofa.

“So, how’d you get caught so fast?” Danny asked.

She sighed. “I tried to move hiding spots to confuse him, but he caught me.”

“Well, that’s what you get for cheating.” Danny scolded playfully.

Allison’s eyebrows raised as her mouth widened. “Hey! I wasn’t cheating! We never agreed not to do that!”

“Yeah, I mean if you guys were on a break.” Stiles commented as he walked back in, hideously misreading what he had heard of the conversation. The smile on his face disappeared when he saw Allison’s reaction. “Wait, were-“

“She wasn’t cheating at hide and seek.” Danny explained, eyes squeezed shut in second-hand embarrassment.

Stiles went to apologise, but Allison waved him off. “It’s fine. Really, I just… it’s weird, you know? Malia and I haven’t even talked since Lydia and I broke up.”

Nodding in understanding, Danny squeezed her knee in an attempt at comfort. “I get how that feels.” He said, and Allison breathed a short laugh.

“Yeah, Mason hasn’t exactly rolled out the welcome mat for you. Are you holding up okay?” Allison asked. Danny nodded. “Good. Hey, you never told me, why did you two break it off?”

Danny’s heart began to speed up, as he instinctively glanced back and forth between Stiles and Allison. Stiles picked up on it. “Wait, is it something to do with me?” he inquired. “Is that why you haven’t told me?”

“I…” Danny sighed. He guessed at this point, it was better just to be honest. What good would lying do? “Mason thinks I like you. And he thought I was leading him on the entire time waiting to... be with you, I guess.”

The wounded look on Stiles’ face hurt Danny’s heart. “Wow, I… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to come between-“

“It’s not your fault.” Danny interrupted. “You didn’t do anything wrong. And… honestly, I don’t think I did either.” Looking around for support, he saw Allison looking pensive. “What?”

She chewed her lip a moment while she thought. “Okay, think about it like this. Technically, you could argue what happened with me and Malia wasn’t wrong, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt Lydia. And Malia, which is a whole other thing. I still made her feel like she couldn’t trust me. Maybe the ‘wrong’ part wasn’t what you did, but how you made him feel?” Allison offered.

Once she had said it, Danny felt like an idiot for not thinking of it sooner. He sighed, and put his head in his hands. “You’re right.” He replied. “I should deal with that. Soon. So… what's the deal with you and Malia, now you mention it?”

“She’s a really, really sweet girl, but I’ve never seen her as more than a friend. But… maybe I let her flirt with me more than I should have. And yeah, kissing her was definitely a big mistake. But I never meant to hurt her. Or Lydia” She explained.

“Have you told her that?” Danny asked.

She shook her head as she breathed out slowly. “Nope. Guess we both have some things to clear up, huh? How’d we get to be such a mess?”

“Hey,” Danny consoled, slinging an arm around her shoulder, “everybody makes mistakes, right?”

“Yeah, I got a hard-on while Danny and I were hiding together.” Stiles admitted. Allison and Danny looked at him incredulously. His confidence shrunk by the second. “No, no, you have to laugh, the tension has to break or I just put that out there for nothing!” he pleaded.

It took her a moment, but once Allison started laughing, she couldn’t stop. Danny and Stiles soon joined, guffawing like fools, then chatting, and drinking as Scott, Malia, and finally Mason were gradually found and brought back to the room.

“And that makes six.” Boyd said proudly. “Round two?” he rubbed his hands together, openly eager and excited in a way Boyd only ever was when drunk.

Scott quickly checked the time on his phone. “Ooh, I’m down for that, but we only have a few minutes until the fight starts. Want to postpone it?” he suggested.

General nods and murmurs of agreement said they were happy for that to be the plan, but knowing tonight was about getting rid of the awkward air around the group, Danny had an idea. Allison was right. They had to confront their issues. And if no one wanted to, Danny guessed he’d have to be the one to make it happen. He stood suddenly, drawing all the eyes in the room.

“I have a plan. Scott, could you mute?” At Danny’s request, Scott silenced the pre-fight coverage on the TV. “So, we’re here tonight because some of us are finding it hard to be around each other. And as uncomfortable as it is, we’re not going to get past it unless we say some stuff we don’t really want to. So, I say every one of us gives an apology, or just some truth to clear the air. Then once you do, you finish your drink, and we can all watch two guys beat the shit out of each other like a team.” The faces around him looked reluctant, which challenged his resolve, but the kind eyes of Allison and Stiles stuck out like beacons to help him through. “I’ll go first. Mason?” his eyes rose to meet Danny’s. “I’m sorry. For everything. I swear I never tried to lead you on, but I’m sorry I hurt you, that I made you feel not good enough, because you are. And you deserve someone who makes you feel it.”

Grabbing his drink from off the table, Danny closed his eyes and threw it down his throat. When he sat down, he saw Mason still looking at him. For the first time in weeks, there was no dismay in his face. He looked a little confused, but… Peaceful. Accepting. Like the anger had finally begun to swim down the drain.

Allison stood next, glass already in hand. “Malia, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have led you on, I shouldn’t have confused you by kissing you, and I shouldn’t have ignored you after Christmas. But I really do want to be your friend.”

She had barely finished her drink before Malia stood and began to speak. “I’m sorry too. I was way out of line flirting with you anyway, and it’s not like I tried to talk to you either. Friends sounds great.” She quickly chucked back her drink and sat down. Danny wondered how easy 'just friends' would be given how much Malia had liked Allison, but he supposed only time would tell.

There was a lull. Mason seemed to think about standing, but wasn’t making it to his feet yet. Sensing the breakdown of the process, Scott stood up, while still trying to think of something to say. “Er… I’m sorry for inviting you all to an alcohol-free sleepover. I’m really glad you all ignored me and brought some anyway.” He joked, bringing some levity in the way only Scott could.

It prompted Boyd to stand, while Scott finished the rest of his cup. “I’m sorry you all suck so bad at hiding.” He began, to a chorus of boos from his friends. He raised his hands to silence them and continued. “No, for real, I don’t think I’ve wronged any of you recently, but I believe general truths were also on the table?” Danny nodded to him. “Good. I’ll just say, I like every person in this club. I think you’re all good people. So, I don’t think you’d try to hurt each other. Just remember that. We don’t have to fight.” He shrugged, and received a modest applause started by Stiles, while he finished his drink.

“I’m sorry my relationships nearly cost us two competitions.” Stiles said. “I’ll work on that for Nationals.”

After the laughter that came from Stiles’ answer, there came one last person. Jaw tight, he stood up and looked at Danny, unsure of what he was about to say. “Danny… I appreciate your apology. And I want to be cool with you, but it’s going to take a little time. I hope you understand.” He said. Danny nodded. It wasn’t the best outcome, but it was still air cleared. It was a step in the right direction. And it seemed to be a positive thing for all of them.

“Alright, nice work everyone!” Scott congratulated. “Now lets watch some boxing!”

The group cheered in unison, as Scott unmuted the TV. They ended up not watching a whole lot of the fight in the end. Instead, they talked, laughed, as if nothing had ever gone wrong, through the fight and into the darkness as they lay in sleeping bags, gently drifting to sleep. Sure, there were a couple awkward looks between Danny and Mason, but nothing close to the harsh glares they'd been sharing as of late. Baby steps, Danny thought.

And as much as drinking had seemed like a necessity to even get through the night, Danny didn’t see a single person reach for a bottle from the moment the bell rung.


	18. Driving To Conclusions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year, everyone! Hope you enjoy this chapter, please leave kudos, comments, and bookmark for updates.

Danny clapped and smiled as Lydia’s team finished their performance, but the greatest compliment he gave them was nervously chewing his cheek, worriedly thinking how hard they’d be to beat. It was no secret Team Scott hadn’t had the easiest journey, and Team Lydia seemed like they’d been cohesive from start to finish. Still, Danny’s team had been dedicating hours of rehearsal to their song since Friday, and they were all hungry for the win. He was still confident they could take this.

“Amazing job, team one! Lydia, I can tell you’ve run a tight ship, as I knew you would, and it worked out beautifully. You should be incredibly proud of yourself. All of you should. Let’s hear it again, for our first team!” Mr Hale said, bursting with pride. Team Scott cheered enthusiastically, but still with an edge of competition. As a friend, Danny was thrilled for Lydia. As her competitor, he was furious. He knew she’d appreciate both feelings equally. “Okay, team two, let’s go.”

Cheered equally loud by Lydia’s team, Danny and his cohorts got up to fill the stage, when he heard Stiles humming, “And it started with a hello, don’t you ever let me go.”

“Stiles.” Danny reprimanded. Immediately realising his mistake of singing his opponents' song, Stiles clamped his mouth shut. Glancing out, Danny saw a satisfied grin on Lydia’s face. He damned her ability to pick out the catchiest songs possible.

Once in their first formation, however, Danny felt more than confident. He slyly looked to his other teammates who shared his determination. Even Mason returned him a cool nod that said, “we’ve got this.”

The music started, and in seconds they were weaving in and out each other, rhythmically turning in carefully planned directions so Stiles would be facing out ready to sing the first line. “I don’t mind, letting you down easy, but just give it time.” He sang smoothly. Danny looked on in admiration, seeing just how far Stiles had come these past few months. No longer was he wiggling around onstage without a plan; he was committed, prepared, and the other team already looked worried.

Not focusing on the other team too long, Danny put his head firmly back in the song. He sang his harmonies, hit his steps, and came in with his section belting: “Ain’t it fun, ain’t it fun? Baby, now you’re one of us…”

Allison came back in to take them home for the final choruses, taking them to the most intricate part of the choreo. Danny couldn’t count how many hours he’d spent in his room practicing, but it paid off. As he went to sweep across the stage however, he noticed Mason tumble. Refusing to leave a man behind, Danny grabbed him by the arm, and swung him back up to standing, giving him a small nod as they went back on their way. It meant their positions were switched for the end of the number, but it was better than someone taking a fall in the middle of it.

The song ended, and while the other team whooped and applauded, Danny squeezed Scott’s shoulders and gave him a congratulatory pat on the back. He looked back with appreciation.

“Wow. You pulled that choreography together in a week and a half?” Mr Hale asked, genuinely shocked.

“More like three days.” Malia corrected, before getting quickly hushed by the rest of the group.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Mr Hale silently wondered to himself what had happened with the group, but decided that was their business. Danny was relieved. “Well, in whichever case, very impressive. Malia, your choreography just keeps getting stronger. I can’t wait to see what you come up with for Nationals. And Scott, if you told me four years ago you’d be able to lead a group to a performance of that calibre, you’d be proving all the faith I had in you right. Excellent work. All of you, great job.” He glowed. Scott was bashful, but obviously thrilled, especially when he sat next to Kira and received an enthusiastic kiss in amongst her own congratulations.

Danny took the moments in which Mr Hale would judge to take a seat next to Lydia. “Great job, Lyd.” He said sweetly, tipping the top of her head towards him to kiss it. “Looks like a close one.”

“Hopefully not too close. Remember, loser owes the other a free dinner at the diner.” She reminded him with a wink. “But really, you did a great job. I love watching you sing.”

“Me too.” Danny replied warmly. “I’m really going to miss it.”

Lydia smiled, but rolled her eyes. “Don’t get all sentimental on me yet, Danny. It’s only January.”

They shared a small chuckle, before Mr Hale called the room to attention with a clap and a loud, “Alright.” Danny held Lydia’s hand as they awaited the announcement. “You all did a great job, and you should all be proud. But we have to choose a winning team. And that team, who will get to choose one of our Nationals numbers is… Team Scott McCall!”

The victorious seven all jumped up in unison and cheered, receiving a respectful but disappointed applause from the others.

“That’s all for today. Scott, get your team together and come to a consensus sooner rather than later.” Mr Hale instructed. “Excellent work again. See you all soon.” With that, he began to pack up. Once their group hug had concluded, Team Scott returned to their fellow club members and went back to talking as if no competition had even happened. Aside from Scott, whom he could hear already discussing possible numbers, though even he was doing it with an arm wrapped around Kira.

“Hey.” Danny heard from behind him. He turned to see Mason, almost not recognising his voice sounding so cheery. “I just wanted to say thanks for saving me up there. Think you might have saved all of us actually.”

Feeling a lightness in his chest, Danny returned Mason’s grin. “No man left behind.” He replied. “You got any ideas for Nationals songs?”

“Not yet.” Mason hummed. “I’ll keep you posted though.” The room quietened gradually, as more and more Harmonics slipped out the door. “You were great up there, I just thought you should know. And I’ve thought about it a lot and… We’re good. You and me. We’re all good.” He assured.

Danny sighed with relief. “I’m really glad.”

“I still think you like Stiles, though.” He continued, with a smirk that says he meant to ruin the moment just a little.

“Come on, man.” Danny groaned.

Mason chuckled. “I’m not mad about it anymore, but you’ve definitely got some stuff to figure out.” Danny went to open his mouth, but Mason interrupted. “Just mull it over. Sooner you figure it out the better.”

With that, he swanned out the door. His playfulness said he was teasing Danny, but there was some obvious sincerity in what he was saying.

Danny honestly didn’t see it. Why was he so insistent that it was specifically Stiles?

Not that he had to, but he decided to prove it to himself. Spend some quality one on one time with Stiles, aware of Mason’s suspicions, to prove once and for all that they were nothing but friends. Christ, Danny thought. With how much it took the two of them to just become friends, he was surprised people were seeing anything more. Had they forgotten just how much Danny disliked Stiles in September?

He approached Stiles, who was retying his shoelaces. “Hey.” He said. He noticed himself trying to be nonchalant, and shook it off. “You busy right now?”

“Busy? No. Hungry? Constantly.” Stiles replied.

Danny smiled. “Well, you’re in luck. I’m going to hit the drive through on the way home. Feel like it?” he offered. As Stiles mulled it over, he felt his heart speed up a little bit. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” He blurted out.

“No, no, I’m definitely coming, I’m just trying to figure out how much I can get with my limited funds.” Stiles explained, reassuring him. “You think I’d miss dinner with a friend?” he said.

Danny’s cheeks warmed. Now that he was used to it, having Stiles refer to him as a friend was actually quite comforting. “I’ll spot you if you think of something you really want.” Danny decided. Stiles tried to protest, but Danny held up his hand. “I just got paid, seriously. It’s cool.”

“Aww.” Stiles crooned appreciatively. “Aren’t you the sweetest? I’ll pay you back though.”

“I said it’s cool. Just let me be nice.” Danny insisted with a smirk as they walked out to his car. Stiles paused a moment, and Danny turned questioningly. “You okay?”

“Danny Māhealani. Asking to be nice to me. Glee club really does work miracles, huh?” Stiles joked, picking up the pace again.

“Shut up.” Danny laughed, though he couldn’t deny the truth of it. He suddenly felt the cold of January and shivered as he unlocked his car.

They climbed in quickly, and Danny raced to turn on the heat. Sure, it would take a few minutes to kick in, but the sooner the better.

“So, any particular reason you’re taking me to dinner? You’re not taking me somewhere public to break up with me, right? Because I’ll make a scene in the middle of a Wendy’s, I don’t care…”

“Stiles.” Danny chuckled, turning out of the school. “It’s a drive-through. You won’t even be in the middle of a Wendy’s. I just figured, we don’t hang out one-on-one a lot. Might be nice.” He explained. He supposed it wasn’t technically a lie. More an avoidance of the whole truth.

“I get it.” Stiles said, knowingly. “You hate Scott. And you brought me here to talk shit about him. Okay, what’s first? His hair? Or-“ his joking abruptly stopped when Danny started slowing down the car. “No, no, please don’t make me walk home, it’s so cold. I’ll shut up.”

“What a fast learner.” Danny said, the most facetious compliment he could think of. It earned a wry smile of respect from Stiles that only another funny asshole could offer. “Seriously, I want to talk.”

“About what?” Stiles inquired.

With a shrug, Danny took a left turn. “I don’t know. Who do you think’s going to be Prom Queen?”

Stiles scoffed. “Lydia. That’s not a conversation, that’s just a fact.”

Admittedly, he was correct. “Yeah. And so she deserves.” Danny replied. “You think you’ll be up there with her?”

“Me?” Stiles said, incredulously. “I just started Glee Club, and at this point, I’m only on the lacrosse team in theory. Why would anyone vote for me?” It wasn’t a plea for sympathy, it was genuine confusion, which made Danny realise Stiles was completely unaware of his own social standing.

“Because everybody loves you, dude. Even me. Former president of the ‘I-Hate-Stiles’ club.” He explained. Danny felt as though he’d just let something slip, even though he knew he hadn’t. Mason’s insinuations must have still been playing on his mind. Deciding to move past it, he continued. “You’re actually pretty popular.”

“Huh.” Stiles offered in response, taking a moment to think about that. “Was there really an I-Hate-Stiles club?”

Danny smirked, a memory occurring to him. “I started one in first grade, actually. After I brought my yellow power ranger to school and you…”

“Smashed it to pieces with my home-made superhero, Rock-Man.” Stiles finished, embarrassed but amused. “In my head, it looked like a really cool fight scene.”

“In mine, it looked like you laughing while you destroyed my favourite toy.” Danny retorted. “Yeah, I’ve always had a pretty huge hate-boner for you. But at least I didn’t press it against you in a closet.”

“Fuck off.” Stiles laughed. Then, he took a moment to be silent that Danny found intriguing. “You know, we were actually best friends. For, like, a week. Back in second grade.”

“What?” Danny asked, shocked. How did he not remember this? “What happened in second grade that made me…” he trailed off. Because then he did remember.

“Yup.” Stiles said quietly. “I was gone for a while after it happened, and I was pretty scared to come back. I don’t know why. I guess just because… everyone knew. And I didn’t want anybody to treat me different, because that change, it was… it was like it actually happened. You know? Like, there was a change because of it. She was actually gone. And I didn’t want that.” Danny nodded in understanding, while Stiles took a moment to compose himself. “So, I get there, and everyone’s super quiet. It’s weird. But, hey, I wasn’t making any noise, so who would be? I wasn't ready to start talking to everyone yet, so I stayed inside at recess, and… so did you. You just sat with me, and talked to me, made sure I was okay. Then at lunch, you gave me half your lunchables and all your yellow skittles. By the end of the week, you even got me to come back outside at recess. And I remember thinking ‘hey, recess is still the same.’ It was- I don’t know, it was nice. It helped me. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Danny replied warmly. He remembered flashes of what Stiles described, memories unearthed from under years of being frustrated with every other thing Stiles said and did. “So, wait, why did we stop being friends?” Danny asked.

“Oh…” Stiles tittered, remembering. “You were drawing this rocket. I can’t remember why, but you were really putting your all into it, like, this was your Mona Lisa. And when you went to pee, I thought I’d help you add some colour into it. Or, all of the colours. Drew all over the whole thing. You cried, and pushed me, and I ran away.”

Danny laughed hard, shaking his head. “God, I don’t remember it, but I totally buy it. Guess some things never change, huh?”

“Well, some do.” Stiles responded. “I learned to stop pissing you off long enough that you’d take me for dinner.”

Nodding, Danny turned into the drive through and began queueing. “And I learned to stop assuming you were just being a dick to be a dick. You were just trying to help.”

“Yeah, asshole!” Stiles yelled, causing them both to break into a fit of giggles just as they were meant to start placing their order. They managed to contain themselves long enough to make their order, pay, and park up outside to eat. “Okay, come on. I’m not popular. I never go to parties, I do nothing cool, I don’t even have a popular boyfriend to boost me up. Or girlfriend.” Stiles said, somehow still perfectly clear through the wad of curly fries he was chewing.

“Dude, you’re popular because everyone likes you.” Danny explained. “That counts for a lot more than parties or sports. You’re funny. You’re nice. Everyone knows who you are.”

“And that’s all it takes?”

“That’s all it takes.” Danny mumbled, trying to keep a chunk of burger in his mouth through speaking. Stiles made it look a lot easier than it was.

“Wow. Well, that and being a certified Regional Show Choir Champ.” Stiles self-congratulated with just the right amount of irony. “And maybe National?”

Swallowing some fries, Danny hummed in consideration. “I don’t know. We’re good this year. I think we’re the best we’ve been since I started. But there are some good Glee Clubs out there. Like, really good. The group that won last year already has a girl on Broadway. And she wasn’t even the one who did all the backflips while singing.”

“Backflips? Plural?” Stiles gasped.

Danny nodded. “While singing Ave Maria. It was… haunting.” He trembled. Stiles sat in silence. “Nah, I’m just fucking with you. But they were great.” Stiles gave him a quick shove, but Danny saw the corners of his mouth pull upwards. “You really want to win?”

Stiles thought for a moment, before nodding. “Yeah, actually. It’s been awesome either way, but, with Lacrosse it feels like I’m not really part of the team. So I don’t care that much if we lose. But ever since you gave me that wake-up call after Sectionals, and I started taking dance classes with you and Scott, it feels like I’m actually working towards something. Like I’m not just on the team, I can actually help us win. You know?” he explained earnestly.

It made Danny feel warmer than any artificial car heater ever could. Truth be told, he never thought about how Stiles felt benched for four years straight. “Yeah. I know.” He replied. “And you are helping us win. I mean, don’t get me wrong, you could always sing, but you’ve gotten even better. You really stepped up your game, it’s… it’s cool. It’s really cool.”

“Thank you. And thanks for pushing me. We actually make a pretty good pair. Makes me wish I joined Glee Club sooner.” Stiles mused. It was a kind of bittersweet thought. Sometimes, Danny did wonder what a good friend he’d missed out on by being so dead-set against Stiles.

“Oh, Blanche. You mean all this time we could have been friends?” Danny quoted, in his best Bette Davis impression. Stiles’ alarmed expression said he’d never seen the film. “’What Ever Happened To Baby Jane.’ God, you call yourself gay.”

“Bi, actually. I yearn for members of every sex.” Stiles retorted.

Danny chuckled. “Go ahead, tell me all the ones I know.”

He might not have set him off if he knew just how many names were on that list. Still, he supposed it gave him time to peacefully finish his meal. And in another thought that would make him from September just about lose his mind, Danny realised he actually liked just sitting back and listening to Stiles talk. He was animated, witty, charming. Which he felt in a completely platonic way, he thought pointedly to Mason. “Aw, you had a crush on Scott?” Danny asked, now that Stiles had worked his way back to sixth grade. “Was he the first boy?”

“Not the first.” Stiles replied absent-mindedly.

“Who was?” Danny asked.

In that moment, Stiles turned to him and looked him dead in the eye. His breath hitched and he wondered if Stiles might actually be about to say…

He wasn’t sure how he’d react, or if it even mattered, but he knew his heart was pumping considerably faster and his fingertips pricked with what felt like electricity. “Don’t be mad.” Stiles began. Then, he pulled out a set of keys, confusing Danny. “I forgot I drove to school today. My jeep is still in the parking lot.”

With all the breath he had been holding, Danny’s laughter came out in a sudden honk, frightening Stiles who soon began to laugh as well. “You idiot.” Danny jabbed affectionately before putting the car in gear and heading back to school. He still wondered who the first boy was, and if that stare was anything other than Stiles remembering his mistake, but the moment had passed. Not that it really mattered much. Even if he was the first boy, it wasn’t like Stiles still liked Scott, Lydia, or any of the other names on his list. Which was a good thing, because if tonight had definitively done anything, it was prove Mason wrong.

“Thanks for dinner and the ride back to my car.” Stiles joked as Danny pulled up.

“No problem. Let’s co-ordinate better next time.” Danny responded.

Stiles opened the door, and stepped outside, before turning back in to face Danny. “Next time.” He repeated. “I like the sound of that.” With that, he closed the door, waved through the window, and quickly jogged over to his own car.

His heart tugged as he watched Stiles go. Though he knew the other man would have to go eventually, he was enjoying the time with him. And he did fully intend on there being a next time. A platonic, crush-free next time. He couldn’t wait to rub that in Mason’s face, once he was more sure they could be on joking terms about him.

In his rear-view mirror, he saw Stiles in his car, fiddling with the radio and deciding whether or not he could appropriately jam to the songs that came out. It was endearing watching him bite his lip, try to groove in his seat for a moment, then switch to another channel.

A loud horn from a passing car had Danny slamming on his break before he knew what was happening. He had completely missed the oncoming car flying towards him as he went to pull out from the school parking lot. All because he was looking at Stiles.

He decided he’d leave that out when he told the story to Mason. He’d only read into it.

And there was nothing to read into. Danny was sure of it. And as his mind continued to settle on Stiles while he looked firmly at the road ahead, he told himself off for focusing on Mason’s comments. He’d had a great night with Stiles, that was what mattered, not some theory his ex-boyfriend had. He loved Stiles’ company.

And the whole way home, he just kept telling himself, that was all there was to it.


	19. Come And Get Your Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a shorter chapter this time, hence why it's here a bit sooner than I'd usually update. Hope you all enjoy! Every kudos, comment, and bookmark means a lot so if you're liking the story please do that to let me know :)

“Everyone ready?”

“One more time: you know the school’s going to hate this, right?”

“Yes. That’s part of it.”

“And you know any girl on earth would be embarrassed by this right?”

“Yes. That’s also part of it.”

Isaac had raised these same concerns to Scott multiple times since he first brought up his ridiculous prom-posal idea a few weeks ago. But if he wasn’t going to back out then, he sure wouldn't now. Isaac sighed, “Then yeah. Guess we’re ready.”

“Awesome! Thanks for all your help guys! Just got to wait for her to call.” Scott buzzed as he continued peering through the door of the cafeteria. He was bouncing up and down on his toes a little, and the rest of the Hills Harmonic boys couldn’t help but look on in adoration.

It wasn’t like they were thrilled about singing a rendition of “Come And Get Your Love” in the school cafeteria, but saying no to Scott was like abandoning a puppy on the side of a highway. No one with a soul could even dream of it. Besides, the lengths he was going to give Kira a memorable Valentines Day were pretty admirable.

“Unbelievable.” Stiles grumbled. “I had two boyfriends this year and somehow ended up single on Halloween, Christmas, New Years, and now Valentines Day.”

“Hey, you broke up with me.” Liam retorted.

Stiles’ head whipped around. “You punched my friend!”

“Fine! So we both made mistakes.” He less than humbly admitted. The boys chuckled amongst themselves, happy they could at least laugh about what had gone on over the year.

“And good luck getting a date after this.” Boyd said quietly. “I’m just hoping people forget about this by the time my senior prom rolls around.”

Stiles hummed. “You really think people are going to hate it that much? People always like our assembly performances.”

“Everyone likes a performance when they’ve decided to see it. But you sneak up on them? They’ll never forgive you.” Mason explained, thumb hanging precariously over the send button on the text that would see their backing track blaring across the school radio system.

Danny wasn’t so concerned about the school’s reaction. They’d find it annoying, sure, and a prom-posal was rather unnecessary given that Scott’s suit and Kira’s dress were already chosen to colour co-ordinate, but Scott wanted to make Kira laugh, show her how much he loved her, and embarrass her just the right amount that it was sweet all at once. And Danny didn’t mind helping him achieve that one bit.

Pretty soon, a call started to come through on Scott’s phone, and sure enough, it was Kira wondering where he was. “Go, go, go!” Scott rushed, pointing to Mason’s phone. He sent the text, while Scott hung up on Kira. He hesitated a moment before he did, like even though it was part of his plan, he still felt bad. It was ridiculously sweet in the way only a lovestruck Scott McCall could be.

The music began playing moments later, and with a collective sigh, the boys all burst into the cafeteria, suddenly performing like they’d been committed to this idea from the start.

“Hail,” Scott sang, while the boys echoed, “what’s the matter with your head, yeah.” A picture of flattered embarrassment, Kira hid her face and laughed as her boyfriend grooved through a parting crowd and jumped on a table, all while serenading her.

Oohing like his life depended on it, Danny did his back-up dance to perfection, desperately trying not to make eye contact with any of the other boys for fear of breaking into a fit of laughter. “Come and get your love.” The boys continued, capping the first chorus, each doing a quick spin expecting to dive right into the second verse.

When they turned back around however, they saw Kira standing on her chair. “Hail.” She sang. All at once, the Hills Harmonic girls jumped up to echo, and sing some back-up of their own. Danny turned to Scott, who looked shocked but thrilled. He may have known how to woo Kira, but she knew how to woo him right back. “It’s your business, if you want some, take some. Get it together, baby…”

Scott stepped back and let her take her take her chorus. Obviously, having Malia on their side, their dancing was a little better, but Scott wasn’t about to have his prom-posal fully taken from him. He indicated the boys to keep going while he sang with Kira, and they obliged. It became a lot more fun with all of them there. Making a full of yourself with half a glee club is one thing, but when it was all of them they could have fun belting even if they were getting booed off the stage. Which, thankfully, they weren't.

Powering through to the end of the song with a final and harmonious, “Come and get your love,” Scott and Kira were already holding each other like a slow song was playing at the prom in their heads. The clapping from around them was half-hearted, unsurprising as the other students were just trying to eat lunch in peace, but such a show of affection would bring a smile to even the harshest of exteriors. Well, most of them anyway. Murmurs of “fucking Glee kids” could still be heard quietly amongst the awing.

“Well, Kira, before you take the next part from me too…” Scott began, earning a laugh from his adoring girlfriend, “Will you go to Prom with me?”

She took a moment pretending to think, before saying “Yes, I would love to.”

Scott cut her off with a kiss, and got a slightly more enthusiastic clap from the students of Beacon Hills. The happy couple sat down together quickly, already wrapped up in discussions of prom preparation, while the other Harmonics stood in a small clump nearby.

“How did you know what Scott had planned?” Stiles asked, incredulously.

The girls tittered amongst themselves. Eventually, Allison said, “Erica told us.”

“But how did- Boyd!” Liam scolded, turning everyone’s attention to a shameful Boyd. “You know she can’t keep secrets.”

“Hey!” Erica bit, but the looks she received quickly wiped out her defences. “Okay, point taken. But Isaac told Allison.”

Everyone turned to Isaac, whose eyes darted left and right. “Danny told Lydia.” He revealed.

Eyes wide, Danny muttered a moment before Lydia spoke up for him. “How did you know?!”

Isaac grinned. “I didn’t. Now I do.” He taunted.

“Isaac told me too.” Malia exposed, refusing to let him relish in his victory. His face dropped instantly. “And Hayden. But Mason told her first. I think Liam told me first…”

Stiles threw his arms up in shock. “So, I’m the only one who didn’t tell anyone?” he accused.

“Well, you told me.” Lydia mocked, an obvious attempt to push his buttons. And it worked.

He was practically jumping up and down as one by one, the girls falsely revealed that Stiles spilled the beans about Scott’s prom-posal. It took him far too long to realise what was happening, but when it finally hit him, he abruptly stopped flailing and his lips pursed in dismay. “I’m going to get lunch. You should all be ashamed of yourselves, this was supposed to be a happy day.” He admonished.

“I’ll come with you.” Danny said, walking with Stiles away from the giggling Harmonics. “So, Stiles Stilinski is still on the market for a prom date?”

As they entered the lunch queue, two burly students walked past them, staring then rolling their eyes. “Yup, and from the response to my back-up oohs and ahs, it looks like it’s staying that way.” Stiles sighed.

“Or they’re just jealous they didn’t get nominated for Prom King.” Danny offered, only for Stiles to scoff dismissively. He turned to his friend. “I’m serious, dude. Didn’t you hear the announcement?”

Stiles’ head whipped around. “Wait, that’s what that was? I was zoned out, when I heard my name I thought I got in trouble or something.” He said.

“And usually you’d be right.” Danny jested. “But no, you’re on the ballot. And you’ve got my vote.” 

“Dude, no way!” Stiles buzzed, adorably excited.

Danny ruffled his hair in congratulations. "You deserve it, man." he beamed.

Not content with a simple ruffle, Stiles squeezed Danny into a quick hug, then let go before Danny could reciprocate. It was still welcome, thought. A thought occurred to Stiles, which he said out loud. “Well, hey, since you don’t have a date either, how about we go together?”

There was sweat on Danny’s palms that wasn’t there a second ago. His throat dried as he went to speak, which might have been lucky because in that moment he had no clue what he was about to say. It was weird. Like, panic, but for what he didn't know.

“Hey.” Said a familiar voice. Both boys turned around to see Theo with a lunch tray in his hand. He looked… different. He was smiling, but it wasn’t his usual smarmy smirk. It was genuine. Approachable, even. “Good job up there. And congrats on the nomination, Stiles. I think you’ve got a pretty good shot.” He complimented. It was kind, but as Stiles quietly thanked him, he could sense it wasn’t quite enough to overcome the strange atmosphere. “How’s Nationals prep coming?” he asked as a distraction.

“Good. We’ve already got one of the numbers down.” Danny replied. It felt easier talking to him once he actually started.

Theo nodded. “Starting early. I like it. Well, good luck to you guys. See you later.” He said. They both offered goodbyes as he walked away. It was an odd interaction, but an altogether pleasant one, Danny thought. Thinking on it, Danny realised Theo hadn’t caused a single issue for them since Regionals. Distance had been kept and order restored. He had kept to his word, and more than that, he seemed like his games had ceased. Sure, his implication of him and Stiles led to Mason dumping him, but Danny was more than ready to accuse Theo of foul play, and even he couldn't convince himself he meant that to happen. Theo relished in his victories, and that dark day had no relishing whatsoever.

“So,” Stiles picked up, drawing Danny from his thoughts, “I only meant that we’d go together as friends. Just to be clear.”

He chuckled, but Danny still felt this surge through his body. Of what, he wasn’t quite sure. It seemed obvious, but his earlier reaction must have said otherwise. “Yeah, of course, I was just… I was thinking, Lydia and Isaac are going stag. We should all go together. A barbershop quartet of lonely spinsters.” He wasn’t sure why he added that last part, but it got a quick laugh from Stiles. He also wasn’t sure why he felt disappointed when Stiles nodded.

“Yeah, sounds good.” Stiles said with a smile. Finally, he’d reached the front of the line and started to order.

Though Stiles' eyes were now on the lukewarm selection of food stewing in metal vats, Danny's eyes hadn't left his friend. Whenever he looked at Stiles, something in Danny’s brain itched. If he was being honest, he didn’t even have to be looking at him. Just thinking about him, which he realised now that he often did. And if he wasn’t into him, as he'd already proved to himself, what was this thing in his head?

It seemed all he had these days were questions. But whatever was buried deep in his brain was slowly making its way to the surface. Danny just wasn’t sure he was ready for whatever he’d find out. He sighed. Disliking Stiles may have been way less fun, but at least it was simpler than... Whatever the hell he was feeling now. 

He decided he had to distract himself. Whatever was happening in his head, it could shut up until it was ready to come out. He made plans with Lydia, Scott, took some extra dance classes, practiced their first Nationals number in his room. Anything he could do to distract himself. It wouldn't work forever, he knew that, but underneath all the distraction, his mind was working away, figuring out whatever it needed to. And though Danny didn't know what to expect, he knew whenever it came out, it would hit him hard and all at once.


	20. A Dress And The Subject Of Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little different: it's a fun little break from the story that focuses on a couple of side characters before we get into the big 2-Part Prom Section of the story. Hope you like this little change! Remember to leave kudos, comments, and bookmark if you're enjoying :)

If there was a benefit to having a job where the manager didn’t give a damn about anything, it was that on slow days, Erica could sit at a desk, scroll through her phone, look at some dresses, and get paid for it. With it being only a week until senior prom, she was surprised to be having one of those days, but thankful nonetheless. As she looked through the store catalogue, she wondered how her own dress would look in Senior year, but also who would be on her arm when she walked in.

“Hey.” Malia greeted as she came through from the back and settled a steaming cup of coffee in front of Erica. “I saw you come in. Thought you might need it to get through the day.”

Erica blew on the hot liquid and took a sip. “Thanks. It's kind of dead in here, though. Not exactly much to do.” She pointed out.

Rolling her eyes, Malia picked up a broom and began an unnecessary sweep of the shop. “Exactly. It’s so boring when no one’s here.” she groaned.

“Oh, so what, my company’s boring?” Erica asked, a challenging grin on her lips.

Malia smirked at her as she took a quick break from sweeping. “Now, we both know that’s not true.” She assured. It brought a touch of pink to Erica’s cheeks. “But you can’t deny it’s more fun when there’s people here to listen in on. Especially when we know them.”

“Well, you’re in luck.” Erica said. “We do have one booking for today, and it’s a Miss L. Martin.”

With a gasp, Malia quickly chucked the broom out of customer view and ran through to the pre-ordered rack. “That girl is loaded, her dress must be gorgeous. Which one, which one, which one… Here it is.” She sang, bringing out the dress, ruffling the plastic as she did. “Purple, fit for royalty.”

Erica chuckled, but narrowed her eyes. “Looks more like blue to me.” She said.

“Oh, come on!” Malia scoffed. “That’s totally purple.”

“It’s violet.” Lydia corrected, making the two girls jump. They didn’t even hear the door open. She stood, tall and glorious as always, with Danny stood close behind her. “What do you think?”

“Oh, Lydia, sorry, I- it’s beautiful.” Malia stuttered, quickly handing the dress over.

Lydia smiled warmly. “I’m not mad that you touched my dress, Malia. Calm down. And thank you. Let’s just hope it still fits okay.” With that, she and Danny took a short walk over to the fitting area. Lydia stepped into the changing cubicle while Danny sat in a chair, putting his own shopping bag to one side.

“Picked up your suit, Danny?” Erica called over from the desk.

Danny turned in his seat to face the girls. “Couple weeks ago. This is just a tie, cufflinks, and some new shoes.” He explained, motioning to his bag. “How much longer are you guys working?”

“Until the mall closes.” Erica sighed. “But hey, you’re our only booking for the day, so it's not so bad. Oh, by the way, Mr Hale’s really riding us to pick a group song to perform at Prom. You thought of anything?”

“No idea.” He replied. “If we don’t think of something soon, we might actually have to pitch Scott’s suggestion. And I don’t think Mr Hale would let us do ‘Smack A Bitch’ by Rico Nasty.” His worrisome expression made it even funnier. Erica thought the seniors would probably appreciate it, but Danny was right. Mr Hale would sooner forfeit Nationals than let them do that.

“Hey, Danny, can you come help me zip up?” Lydia requested from her cubicle. Danny waved at the girls then went to help her.

With Danny preoccupied, Erica turned to Malia who was stood among the rest of the pre-orders picking at her fingers. “Malia, chill out. You were just holding her dress, you didn’t spit on it.” Erica said quietly.

It was enough to draw her from her hiding spot. “I know, it just still feels so… weird.” She whispered.

“Lydia is fine with you.” Erica assured, standing up to hold Malia by the arms. “You didn’t do anything wrong, and you cleared the air with her back at Christmas. You need to let it go. For your sake.”

Malia nodded, then looked up at Erica with a sweet smile. “Thank you.” She said. Then, they just stood there a moment. Malia in Erica’s arms, close, and it felt like neither of them wanted to break away. Erica’s heart thumped a little bit as she imagined a similar scene next year, at her own senior prom. Sure, she’d be wearing a different dress, but the girl was right, and so was the music: a kicky nineties mix playing over the store speaker. Finally breaking away to lean on the desk, Malia sighed. “What did I ever do without you? Can you believe a year ago we barely even knew each other?”

“God, I know.” Erica replied. “Everything moves so fast in Glee Club. Last year, I thought your name was Millie, now we sing together, we’re friends, we work together…”

“And thank you so much again, by the way.” Malia picked up. Maybe Erica wouldn't have tried so hard to get someone else employed alongside her, but Malia didn't have to ask twice. If anything, Erica felt like thanking her. “I know I didn’t take you out to dinner like I promised when I got the job, but when I get paid, I promise I will.”

Erica stared at Malia, and noticed the slight tug on her bottom lip that indicated she was chewing it. The same tug she saw every time Allison so much as walked by. Until recently, she'd noticed. A wave of confidence coming over her, Erica crooned, “Or, we could say we went to dinner, and just skip to the part where I kiss you after?” She leaned closer, and imagined if herself from Freshman year could see her dropping a line like that. She'd probably just stare, amazed she wasn't dropping dead from embarrassment. The confidence she'd gained since then assured her it wasn’t subtle, nor was it particularly clever, but if Malia really was into her, it wouldn’t matter. And worse comes to worst, she could always start laughing. But the sudden part in Malia's lips and the sparkle of excitement in her eyes said she more than reciprocated. 

“Lydia, enough.” Danny groaned, stepping out of the cubicle. The girls agreed with their eyes to hold that thought and listen in. Erica back down sat at the desk while Malia swept, eyes down but ears fully alert. It was automatic, whenever any seemingly interesting conversation broke out. No one's ever as quiet as they think they are in a store.

“I’m your friend, and part of that is telling you the truth even if you don’t want to hear it.” Lydia said calmly. Erica narrowed her eyes in intrigue.

“But it’s not the truth.” Danny continued. “How many times do I need to tell you? I’m not into Stiles. Why does everyone think I am?”

In unison, Erica and Malia looked at each other to roll their eyes. Danny wasn’t stupid, but the whole Stiles thing sure made him look like it.

“Danny, if a hundred people are telling you you’re dead, lie down.” Lydia quipped. Erica had to fight not to laugh and expose herself as an eavesdropper. “I don’t understand why you’re so resistant to it. He even asked you to prom.” Malia gasped, thankfully quietly, and Erica shot her a warning look.

“As friends.” Danny defended, clearly tuned out to whatever Erica and Malia were doing. “That’s why you and Isaac are coming with us. Look, Lydia, please. I’m asking you as a friend. Just drop it.” He pleaded.

Erica actually felt kind of bad for Danny. She saw how much it killed him when Stiles and Theo were together, and he was too thick-skulled to even understand why it bothered him. If only Danny knew just how often he could be caught staring at Stiles.

“Alright. I’m sorry. But just promise me something?” she requested. “If you do decide you like someone, really like someone, don’t wait around for them to ask you out, or invite someone else when they do…”

“Lydia-“

“Not done. When that happens, just go for it. Okay? Because you’ll regret it if you don’t.”

As Lydia concluded her advice, Erica looked up at Malia. She watched her tuck a silky strand of hair behind her ear as she swept, and Erica thought about the past couple of months. It first occurred to her that she liked Malia when they went on that ridiculously expensive Ferris Wheel together at the Christmas Market. That was three months ago. Since then, they’d been flirting, talking, hanging out, but neither had taken that next step. If Erica was being honest, she’d made more than a few hints to Malia, and like today, they were always appreciated by her, but she always put off actually asking her out. Why did she do that?

“Okay. I promise.” Danny said. “You look beautiful, by the way.”

“So do you. And you’ll look even better with your suit on.” Lydia promised. “Come help me unzip. Hey, have you thought of a song to sing at prom yet?”

With that, they were away back into the cubicle, discussing song suggestions. Erica saw a chance. “Malia?” she asked, catching the other girl’s eye. Her heart was suddenly beating a lot harder, and she played with her hair anxiously, before forcing herself to put her hands down. “I like you.” She said. Though her nerves threatened to shut her up then and there, the beautiful smile she was returned pushed her onwards. “I’m not just flirting with you for fun. Or as a joke. I mean it. And… if you’re open to it, I would like to make that thank-you-dinner a date.”

Malia’s grip tightened around her broom as she looked down with a delighted grin. Once she looked back up, she nodded. “Yes. Absolutely, I’d love to.” She accepted. “I am so happy you said something. Well, like, I know you’ve said things, but you know, like, really said something.”

“We’re on the same page.” Erica chuckled, stopping the excited ramble Malia would have easily spent five minutes on. Erica kept it in, but it felt like fireworks were going off in her chest.

Danny and Lydia came bursting out of the cubicle and headed up to the desk to pay. “Fits perfect. Can I pay with card?” she asked excitedly. As Erica handed Lydia the card reader, she and Danny continued firing off suggestions to each other. “True by Spandau Ballet?”

“We can’t do that two years in a row. Skinny Love?”

“Jesus, Danny, it’s not a wake. How about…” Lydia trailed off, leaving the four of them in silence, wracking their brains for the perfect number. Then, fate played a hand as a song came over the speakers that was sweet, just old enough to be vintage, and just cheesy enough to be cute.

“Kiss me, out of the bearded barley. Nightly…” came the gentle voice as Sixpence None The Richer played out slightly muffled over the damaged store speakers.

Smiles crept onto the faces of the four Harmonics as their eyes darted to each other, ensuring they were all on the same page. They were. “So, we’re all agreed?” Lydia ensured. Everyone nodded and murmured enthusiastic agreement, and with that she quickly whipped out her phone and typed out a message. The three buzzes from Erica, Malia, and Danny’s phones said it was sent to the Harmonics group chat.

Erica checked her phone, which hadn’t stopped buzzing, and saw agreements coming through from practically every other member, fast and thankfully. She smiled. Better late than never, she thought.

As Lydia finished ringing up her purchase, she and Danny said their goodbyes and headed out the door. Leaving Erica with the girl she’d just admitted her feelings to.

Turning her attention back to Malia, she realised the other girl was already looking at her. And her expression said she was waiting for something. It may have been slightly forward, but Erica was pretty sure she knew exactly what was on her mind. “So,” She began, slowly stepping her way out from behind the desk and towards Malia, who instinctively put her broom to the side, “you think that song was just a sign for what to perform at Prom, or one for us too?”

Malia nervously struggled to meet her gaze, a slight laugh catching on her breath. It was strange to see her without the sparky confidence that defined her, but endearing in a whole new way. “I- um, I think…” she mumbled hesitantly, but when she finally did look up, her decision was instantaneous. She cupped Erica’s face in her hands and tilted her head, leaning in fast but pausing right before their lips connected.

Content to give her that last push, Erica wrapped her arms around Malia’s waist and reeled in that final distance. Their lips met in a soft kiss that slowly deepened, bodies pressed together tight, until Erica finally broke away. A quick glance to the store window said thankfully no one was looking in, meaning on top of kissing the girl she’d liked for months, Erica’s job was also safe. Good day for Erica, she thought to herself. “That was nice.” She said. Malia shyly drew back. “Okay, we have no more bookings for the day, and God knows Mona doesn’t care enough to come back and check on us. How about we close up early and finally have that dinner? My treat.” She offered.

Malia nodded quickly. “I’d love that.” She beamed. She looked away for a moment, and hummed to herself.

“What’s up?” Erica inquired.

“If it’s that easy, what the hell is taking Danny and Stiles so long?” Malia asked.

Grabbing her bag and the key to the store, Erica threw her head back and laughed. “God knows.” She replied. “They’ll figure it out eventually.”

Locking the door behind her, Erica took Malia’s hand and began walking with her to the nearby diner. As she walked, listening to Malia muse about a new album she had listened to, Erica silently thanked Lydia for being there and giving her the advice that meant she was headed for a date, and if she was lucky, the girlfriend of her dreams. Even if that advice was really meant for Danny. She hoped that boy figured out what everyone else already had, and soon. Stiles was a cute guy, and he didn’t stay single long if the past year had been any indication. If he wasn’t careful, he might run out of time.

Erica was drawn from her thoughts when a pair of lips were lightly pressed to her cheek. “What was that for?” she asked gratefully.

Shrugging slightly, Malia held the door of the diner open for her dashing date. “Just wanted to.” She answered.

Erica smiled straight from her fluttering heart, and from that moment on, her mind was solely on Malia. And she wouldn’t have had it any other way. Malia was right. Things like this were so easy. Why overcomplicate them?


	21. Prom Part I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are, our first of two parts set on Prom night! This one's a doozy, and I had a ton of fun writing it, so I really hope you enjoy :) Please remember to leave kudos, comment, and bookmark if you're enjoying!

The slowly setting sun blanched Stiles’ garden in golden light. Four glasses clinked against each other amongst a chorus of laughter and merriment, and with a loud “cheers” from each of them, Danny, Stiles, Lydia, and Isaac all sipped from their glasses. Being the town Sheriff, the most adult beverage Noah Stilinski was willing to offer them was sparkling cider, but since Danny was driving, he didn’t mind. He wanted to remember this night as clearly as possible, after all.

“Okay, it’s almost time, want to get some pictures before we go?” Lydia suggested. The boys agreed fast, eager to get a record of what had to be each of their most debonair appearances to date. “Mr Stilinski, would you please take some pictures of us?” Lydia requested sweetly, pulling her phone from a silver clutch to hand to him.

“Uh, that’s Sheriff Stilinski to you.” Stiles corrected.

Mr Stilinski sighed. “Noah is fine.”

“Sure thing, Noa-“

“Not you, Stiles.” Noah warned, years of exasperation audible in the husk of his voice. He took the phone from Lydia. “Okay, how about our King and Queen nominees first?”

Stiles and Lydia took the traditional prom pose as Noah began snapping pictures. They really would look great as King and Queen, Danny thought. Lydia with her hair curled to perfection, in her strapless violet gown accented with just the right amount of silver jewellery, and Stiles decked out in a dark, emerald green suit with a shimmering pattern overlaid onto it. He couldn’t recall the last time he saw Stiles in green, but it looked great on him.

“You think they’re going to win?” Isaac asked, fixing the sleeves on his black blazer in preparation to be photographed.

Danny nodded. “I think so. They got my vote anyway.” He assured, taking a sip of his drink. “You excited to sing?”

“Always,” said Isaac, “Can’t believe it’s our last prom performance.”

Danny nodded, sighing as he took it in. Those in the Hills Harmonics who weren’t seniors got to perform a few numbers at prom each year, with the seniors joining them for one big one. It only hit him a few days ago, when he stressed himself out over only learning one song that he realised: it was only one song he had. This was it. His actual prom. The very last one.

“Danny, get up here!” Lydia called, as Stiles headed over towards Isaac.

“You’re up, champ.” Stiles said, high fiving Danny as he passed. Danny wasn’t sure where “champ” came from, but he didn’t mind it.

Danny encircled Lydia’s waist with one arm on approach and smiled for the camera for a few shots, before beginning to speak to her, mostly for the purpose of staged candids. “Wow, Prom Queen Lydia Martin taking pictures with me?” Danny gasped in mock amazement. 

Rolling her eyes, though obviously flattered, swatted Danny on the shoulder. “Don’t jinx it. It’s not over until they count the ballots. I’m feeling good, though. I’d vote for me. I’d vote for you too, if you’d let me.” She said, the last part much quieter, even though Stiles was distracted showing a bemused Isaac how many potato chips he could fit in his mouth at once.

“I told you. I don’t care about being Prom King. Stiles is really excited, and I think he has a shot. Vote for him. And if the people choose me, they choose me.” Danny replied.

Lydia looked him up and down, knowingly. “I’m not saying anything.” She smirked. Before Danny could respond, she yelled out, “Hey, Stiles, get over here!”

Effectively prompted, and somehow having swallowed all those potato chips, Stiles jogged over, grinning at Danny. “Don’t mind if I do.” He said excitedly.

Danny felt a skip in his heart seeing him so excited. They each wrapped an arm around the other and smiled. Looking down, Danny realised Stiles was holding his glass up to clink, and he obliged. “You look great in green.” Danny complimented.

“Aw, shucks.” Stiles said, though Danny could tell from the touch of pink in his cheeks that he appreciated it. “So do you. Shame you chose navy blue.” He joked, prompting Danny to flick him in the nose, which did nothing to stem his giggling besides make him yelp a little in the middle of it. As he rubbed his nose, he backtracked with, “I’m kidding, you look fantastic.”

“Exactly.” Danny snarked. He looked back to the camera, then behind it to see Lydia with her lips pursed to hide a smile. Rolling his eyes, he released his grip on Stiles’ hip and tagged in Isaac.

Once all the combinations and groups had been completed, they all climbed into Danny’s car and headed to Prom, waved off by Noah. It was a short journey, mainly spent singing along to Stiles’ “hype mix”, which was surprisingly heavy on Bon Jovi. It worked, though. Danny was excited. More than that, he felt happy to have this night surrounded by the friends he cared for so much. He looked in the rear mirror, watching Stiles belt his heart out to “Livin’ On A Prayer” as shadow and sunlight streaked over his face, and he felt this overwhelming gratitude that this was how he was playing out his senior year.

An unfortunately short car ride later, they climbed out of Danny’s car and leisurely strolled towards the open school doors, adorned with balloons and pastel ribbon. Hanging on Danny’s arm, Lydia scrolled through the pictures on her phone, bottom lip plumped out in adoration. “Look how cute these are.” She cooed, tilting the screen to show Danny. He looked down, seeing a picture of he and Lydia posed to perfection, then another of them looking at each other with pure adoration. It brought a smile to his face that only widened when he saw the ones that followed of him and Stiles. Arms around each other, looking like a pair of friends that had never known a day of disagreement, it reminded Danny how far he and Stiles had come. The warmth in his chest became a shake in his stomach when Lydia flipped to the next one. They were… close. Closer than he’d expected, with glasses clinking, only Danny’s eyes didn’t meet Stiles on their drinks. They were fixated on the other man’s face. Staring with something Danny didn’t recognise in himself.

He looked away from the phone just in time to enter the gymnasium. Through the doors, which had been dressed with curled pastel ribbons and large balloons, it seemed most of the seniors had already arrived. Danny walked in and looked around, taking in the bright, flashing lights, and pounding pop music. A select excited few already took to the dancefloor, but most of their peers were sat at tables with their friends, which after some scanning, Danny saw included the Senior Harmonics.

“Danny!” Kira greeted as she jumped up from her chair to rush and hug him. She looked beautiful. Her hair pinned back and curled, dancing behind her as her long pink gown fluttered while she ran. She hugged him tight, careful not to get any makeup on his suit, and Danny embraced her gladly. “You look amazing.”

“You too-“ Danny tried to reply, but the moment he broke away from Kira, Scott swept him up off the ground in a spinning bearhug. It was sweet, if a little painful. “Okay, buddy, careful with my spine.” Danny strained.

Scott overcorrected, dropping Danny messily. He thankfully stayed upright. “Sorry, man.” He laughed. “And Kira’s right, you look cute as hell.”

“As do you, man. Both of you.” Danny returned. Scott’s suit matched the colour of Kira’s dress, though his had a pronounced floral pattern. If anyone else had matched so closely with their date, Danny’s eyes would roll so hard he’d see his brain, but he couldn’t help but find Scott and Kira adorable.

Danny said his hellos to Allison and her date, whom he thought he recognised from being on the hockey team, but he wasn’t sure. She soon dragged Allison away, presumably to where her friends were, but definitely where Allison’s ex girlfriend wasn’t. Danny caught Lydia’s slight sigh of relief.

The coloured lights flashed as quickly as the night seemed to go by, casual conversation interspersed with some dancing, placing their votes for Prom King and Queen, and the occasional loud cheering whenever the Juniors of the Harmonics came out to perform their songs. About two hours into the night, the Juniors headed onstage for a third time, once again greeted by applause and Scott’s outrageous cheering that had Danny wondering if he’d snuck in a flask. Played in by some background vocalizing, Boyd stepped to the front and began to sing. “Everybody loves somebody sometimes…” he crooned in a beautiful bass vocal that had Danny widening his eyes in surprise. Somewhere along the road this year, Boyd’s voice had grown ten sizes. Maybe he’d have noticed that if he spent less time locked in combat with Theo, he thought.

“Oh, my God! I love this song.” Kira squealed, dragging Scott up for a slow dance. As Danny, turned to watch them head to the dancefloor, he saw Theo heading towards him. For a moment Danny wondered if Theo heard him thinking about him, then mostly managed to convince himself that was ridiculous.

Still, he approached, a gentle smile on his face. “Hey.” He greeted. “Want to dance with me?”

Danny wasn’t facing Stiles, but he knew his jaw was dropped. Lydia likely hid her face with a compact the moment she saw Theo approaching. That just left Danny alone to respond. Which he didn’t, at first.

Theo chuckled. “Don’t worry. No tricks. Cross my heart.” He promised, then extended his hand.

He wasn’t sure he trusted Theo, but Danny took his hand and stood slowly, heading to the dancefloor. They both went to put their other hand on the opposite man’s hip, then looked at each other. A slight challenge. But making good on his peaceful promise, Theo quickly relented and rested his hand on Danny’s shoulder, allowing him to take the lead. “So…” Danny said, still quite unsure of what to say as he side stepped in time with the music.

“Don’t worry, I’m used to leaving guys speechless.” Theo snarked. Danny rolled his eyes, which given Theo’s laughter was likely his desired response. “What can I say? I might have stopped playing games, but I’m still me.”

“Unfortunately.” Danny replied, much more light-heartedly than he expected.

Theo nodded, lips pursed. “Yeah, I guess I had that coming.” He admitted. Danny might have tried to keep talking, but he could tell Theo was piecing something together in his head. Something he needed to say. “I just wanted to let you know... I heard about Mason breaking up with you after what I said in Glee club. And I just want to be clear, I didn’t try to make that happen. I’m sorry.”

Breathing out slowly, Danny nodded. It was difficult to accept, after years of expecting the worst from Theo, but Danny found himself unable to help believing him. “It’s okay.” He said. “I guess if that was all it took, we weren’t going to last anyway.”

“Well, it’s not like I have you beat in the romance department.” Theo joked, but it was edged with sadness.

Danny looked away a moment, trying to quell the guilt left over from Regionals. Sure, Theo tried to screw them over big time, but he couldn’t imagine how embarrassed he must have felt hearing Stiles and him talk about him so coldly. “I’m sorry about that.” He said.

Sucking air through his teeth, Theo gave a slight shrug. “Hey, so my boyfriend called me a self-centred asshole. Not like he was wrong.”

“You know if you were this self aware four years ago, we actually could have been friends.” Danny said. He wasn’t sure where it came from, and Theo looked just as surprised, but they realised in unison it was a valid point.

A smile crept across Theo’s face. “True. We always were two sides of the same critical homo spectrum.” He joked. Danny had to admit, it made him laugh. “Of course, it would have been awkward when you inevitably got a crush on me, because let’s face it, I’m gorgeous, and then I would have had to reject you-“

“Let’s not get carried away.” Danny warned. Though he much preferred Theo challenging him with a joke than with cruel schemes. “But hey, what’s done is done. Maybe next lifetime.”

“See you there.” Theo smiled. “So, let me ask one thing. And I swear, it stays between us. And maybe Hayden, I tell her everything. Was I right about you and Stiles? Having a moment in that maze?”

As Theo looked into his eyes, Danny felt exposed. Though what he said about Hayden wasn’t promising, at least it was honest. Danny felt compelled to offer the same. He let himself respond without thinking much about it. “Maybe. Everyone has moments. It doesn’t mean I’m in love with the guy.” Danny responded. The more he thought about it, the surer he felt about it. One or two brief moments of maybe meant nothing more than a rush of adrenaline in the right situation.

Theo’s eyes narrowed slightly. “But how many moments until it really means something? I mean, you could say this was a moment.” he pushed. Looking into Theo’s eyes, Danny was sure this felt nothing like any “moment” he’d had with Stiles. Sure, he was standing close to Theo, but the charge just wasn't there. It made his resolve tremble, just slightly, but a glint in Theo’s eyes said he caught it. “Look, don’t worry about it. I was just curious. But whether it’s Stiles or anyone else, don’t let boys get in the way of Nationals. I think you guys have a real shot.” He said, suddenly diverting the conversation. It almost seemed like he was trying to protect Danny. A strange move coming from Theo, but Danny had little time to consider it as the song drew to a close.

“Thank you. I appreciate it. Guess I should go back to the guys.” Danny said, breaking away. “But this was nice. I hope this means we’re good?” he offered.

Theo nodded, beginning to step back. “Yeah. We’re good.” He agreed, walking away. If his genuineness faltered, Danny didn’t see it.

With a sigh, Danny turned around. He wasn’t sure why he let his guard down with someone like Theo. He was dangerously disarming, but Danny was usually more careful, especially with him. It wasn’t until now, walking back to the table, that he really took in the fact he said that he and Stiles might have had a moment. What the hell was that about? He’d never said that to anyone before. Not even himself. But he also said it didn’t mean anything. A slight tremble in his resolve didn’t make that any less true.

Danny didn’t realise until he was back by his chair that the table was empty. No longer lost in thought, he figured this would be an opportune time to head to the bathroom. Danny headed towards the door, and noted Allison’s date sitting by herself. Her arms were folded, and another muscular girl seemed to be comforting her. Danny simply prayed for a night free of drama and jogged to the bathroom, now suddenly needing more than he thought.

A largely uneventful trip later, Danny headed back to the auditorium. Before he got to the door however, he heard voices behind him. Two, drawing closer and swelling with emotion. As he went to look behind him, he was suddenly yanked into an opposing corridor and pushed against the wall. He went to cry out, but a hand pressed to his mouth stopped him. Just as his adrenaline was about to take over and start slinging punches at whoever was pinning him down, he realised it was Stiles. Lowering his fists, he gave a questioning look, only for Stiles to motion zipping his lip shut. Danny sighed quietly, then nodded to show he understood. Finally, Stiles released him, then leaned out to look down the hall. They were shrouded in shadow, but Danny still followed his careful lead. After all, if Stiles was being careful, it must be a sensitive situation.

“Lydia, please just wait!” Allison insisted. Danny’s stomach sank.

Lydia came into view first, her hand reaching for the door, then faltering and turning back around. She crossed her arms defensively. “Okay. I’m waiting. What?”

Breathing too hard and trying to conceal it, Allison toyed with the golden rings on her hands while she tried to find the right words. “I… I shouldn’t have brought Megan, okay? I’m sorry-”

“Allison,” Lydia interrupted, “it’s not exactly easy for me to see you with someone else, but I don’t need your pity. We broke up. Date someone else if you want.”

“But I don’t want someone else.” Allison confessed, voice wavering. It stunned Lydia into silence. “This is stupid. I haven’t even thought about anyone else since Christmas. Not Malia, not anyone. Megan asked me, and I thought it might help me move on, but it just reminded me how much I still want to be with you.” In the distance, Danny saw Allison raise her hand to her face. She seemed to be wiping tears away. Lydia’s grip on her own arms seemed to dissolve for a moment, but she caught herself before Allison continued. “I love you, Lydia. I know I fucked up. I’m sorry. I just want to be back together and I’ll make it work this time, okay? I promise. I just- please tell me you want that too. Please.”

Lydia took a moment to measure her response. Her hands fell to flatten the front of her dress, and seemed to shake slightly in doing so. “Allison, it’s not that I don’t love you. I do. And I want to get to a place where we can be around each other and it’s not weird, but… We can’t get back together.” She said. Allison went to speak, but Lydia continued. “I know you weren’t trying to hurt me. But you did. You’re a good person, but I just... I’ll never forget how that felt. I want to. But I can't. I’m sorry.” She tried her hardest not to let her voice quiver, but it shook tellingly at the end. Danny’s heart broke for them both.

Bowing her head, Allison took a few deep breaths before she looked Lydia in the eye again. “I understand.” She whimpered.

Then, they just stood for a while. Looking anywhere but at each other. They both wanted to say something that would make it okay. Something that would make them friends again, or even just cut through the tension. But they couldn’t. There was nothing. All they could do was walk back inside. First Lydia. Then Allison. In silence only broken by the music in the hall.

Danny felt completely deflated. He’d basically seen two of his best friends break up miserably for the second time. It hurt to watch.

“Hey.” Stiles voice came soothingly, drawing his eyes away from the door and down slightly to Stiles’ eyes, coloured like dark honey in sunlight. He only had to say one word, and Danny felt instantly eased. “They’ll be okay. Sure, it’ll hurt for a while, but now they know for sure. You know?”

“Yeah. I know.” Danny responded. “I just hate to see them hurting.”

Stiles smiled, eyebrows knitted in sympathy. “That’s because you’re a good guy.” He complimented. He then drew Danny in for a hug he gratefully accepted. His fingers wove into the fabric of Stiles’ blazer and closed, pulling him even closer.

Stiles pulled away sooner than Danny would have liked, then stepped back to lean on the opposite wall. It wasn’t until Danny saw how much distance they could have had between them that he realised how close they just were. It sent a kind of flooding feeling through his body, like a warm wave rolling over him.

“So,” Stiles began, a sudden shift in his energy that Danny was glad to feel. “Place your votes for King and Queen?”

“You and Lydia. Just like I said.” Danny replied.

Stiles nodded, his eyes dropping only for a moment. “Thanks, man. I voted for you.” Stiles said. Danny felt caught. “Why didn’t you tell me you were nominated? I had to find out from the ballot sheet. And you're supposed to know all the nominees ahead of time to make an informed decision. That's democracy, Danny.”

“Because you were excited about it. I didn’t care. It’d make me happier seeing you win.” Danny answered honestly. He could tell Stiles didn’t get it, as much as he appreciated it. “But hey, guess now it’s even. You vote for me, I vote for you, now it’s the people’s call.”

“Well, look who learned a thing or two since Sectionals.” Stiles ribbed. It gave them both a laugh. “The people can choose whatever King they want. I already chose mine.”

He winked, and Danny felt warmth fill his cheeks. Try as he did, Danny, couldn’t come up with a response beyond blushing. In looking down to try and hide it, he saw something that made him chuckle.

“What?” Stiles inquired.

Closing the distance between them again, Danny lowered to his knee in front of Stiles and pulled the bottom of the other man's trouser leg free from the sock it was tucked into. He flattened it down and stood back up. “Right before your coronation? What would you do without me?” he teased.

Stiles rolled his eyes. “Not dance classes, that’s for sure.” He joked back.

Without warning, a booming voice that could only have been Mr Hale’s came ringing out from the hall. “Ladies and gentlemen, the time has come to announce our Prom King and Queen!” he proclaimed, to a roaring cheer from the Seniors. Danny and Stiles shared a look before running back into the hall just in time to hear, “Will the nominees please take the stage?”

Alongside Lydia, the three other boys up for King, and the four girls waiting to see Lydia crowned, Danny and Stiles jumped up onto the stage. One by one, the fourth, third, and second runner ups were called and clapped, leaving only two left on each side. Having come third, Danny had stepped back with the others, and probably looked happier than he should have about losing. He was also aware he looked far too stressed for someone who was already out of the running. But Stiles was so close. So, so close, and he deserved it so much. It was between him and one other douchebag on the Lacrosse team. He was actually a pretty nice guy, but right now he was an enemy.

“And our Prom King and Queen… are…” Mr Hale teased out, achingly slowly in the silent room. “… Lydia Martin and Stiles Stilinski!”

The crowd erupted in applause, none bar maybe Scott coming close to matching the volume of Danny’s cheering. Not that he had much time to before Stiles ran back to him and jumped onto Danny, arms and legs wrapped tight around him. Danny gave him a spin before sending him off to collect his crown. While he did, the already crowned Lydia blew a kiss to Danny, which he returned, and Mr Hale announced the King and Queen’s dance.

Danny and the rest of the runners up took the back entrance off the stage while Lydia and Stiles took the front steps down to the open space that had been left for them. Danny walked around the crowd to find a spot to look in, finding one just as Scott came bounding up to him. “Third place, man! Good job! I’ve got to admit, I kind of thought I’d be seeing you in gold.” He congratulated, leaning against the wall next to where Danny had set up camp. Danny felt proud of his spot selection. All the comfort of leaning, but still with a clear view of the King and Queen, thanks to some of the less enthusiastic students simply heading back to their tables after the announcement.

Shrugging as Scott passed him the cup of punch he’d thoughtfully grabbed for him, Danny replied, “Hey, it's cool. The best man won,” before turning his gaze to the centre.

He recognised the song that played almost immediately. ‘Only You’ by The Platters. A beautiful song, for his beautiful friends, in their beautiful crowns. What could be better?

But as Stiles’ arm wrapped around Lydia and pulled her close, as Lydia gripped his shoulder, as their hands intertwined and they stared at each other, talking, giggling, smiling… Danny felt something. Not the pride he felt when he saw them getting crowned. Not the love and adoration he knew he should be. That he did, but something else was there with it. Something about seeing them like this made his insides squirm. His heart beat faster than it had any right to, and he thought he even felt tears prick in his eyes. Hurt, stinging ones that he didn’t want to let fall, because he didn’t understand why they were there.

The confusion was only upsetting him more. He stared at them both intensely, not that he felt capable of looking away, and tried to place this somehow familiar feeling. His eyes kept falling on Lydia, and every time they did, the feeling grew. It grew to a point he could no longer ignore what it was: resentment. Not just any kind, a cold, specific kind he knew he’d felt before.

But why? Lydia was one of his closest friends. She deserved this, he was proud of her, and it wasn’t like he wanted to be Prom Queen. So what was he resenting?

Then, a memory struck him. One of seeing Stiles with someone else: Theo. Watching them kiss, laugh, embrace each other. It no longer felt like a distant memory. It felt all too familiar. Danny’s heart was pounding as his brain began to finally piece it together. When he peeled away his distaste for Theo, the feeling that remained was the same one he had now. This heavy, sunken feeling right in his sternum that pushed down on his stomach and made him nauseous.

“Hey, Danny, you okay?” Scott asked worriedly, noticing Danny’s distress.

He didn’t have a reply. His lips just parted, a shuddering breath entering his mouth. This wasn’t resentment, not quite: it was envy. Because Lydia was holding Stiles close, basking in the glory of his brown eyes and kind smile, pressed against him, and Danny finally understood that he wanted it. He wanted Stiles. And once he finally realised, it was like a tsunami crashed down on him. Heavy. Consuming. Breathtaking.

They were right. All of them, Mason, Lydia, Theo, Kira, everyone. He liked Stiles.

No.

Like was far too shallow.

Danny had liked plenty of boys. This was different. He shuddered and ached under the weight of realising that the reason he couldn’t match what he felt with Stiles to romance before wasn’t because it wasn’t there, but because it was so much stronger and purer than anything he’d ever felt for another man.

“Danny?” Scott said again, louder.

His eyes didn’t falter once. They couldn’t. Because the colour, the heat, the electricity he felt every time Stiles was near that he could never quite understand boiled down to one thing.

Danny felt sure, all of a sudden and for the first time in his life, that he was deeply and hopelessly in love. With Stiles fucking Stilinski of all people. He could almost have laughed, but he thought it might send the tears spilling.

And only one thought could make it through his head amongst that. A question.

What now?

There was clapping, all around him, which Danny finally noticed and joined in on. The song had faded out and everyone was cheering, making their way to the dance floor.

Scott placed his hand on Danny’s shoulder, but Mr Hale’s voice boomed out before he could try to speak again. “And now everybody, please welcome the Hills Harmonics, featuring your very own King and Queen in a song specially prepared for all of you.”

Oh, God, Danny thought. The song. ‘Kiss Me’. And he was partnered with Stiles for choreography.

He jogged towards the stage, trailing the others. Scott looked behind him with concern, but Danny smiled and spurred him towards the stage. Unsatisfied, but unable to delay the performance, Scott accepted it, and they all climbed onto the stage, taking their first positions.

Facing the back as the music started, and feeling Stiles’ presence behind him, that question kept replaying in his mind.

What now?


	22. Prom Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Very sorry for the delay. I didn't mean to leave the story on a cliffhanger for so long, but life's been getting in the way recently. Nevertheless, hope you all like the second part of Prom! Hope you enjoy! :)

What now? What now?

Danny’s mind kept asking him, but he didn’t have an answer. What he did have was a performance to do, and some harmonies to sing. He turned in time to the song as Lydia began her verse, taking the lead.

“Kiss me, out of the bearded barley, nightly…” she sang. It was hard to harmonise with your heart in your throat, but Danny was doing it, all the while thinking about how the hell to go about this. In a few seconds, he was going to have to spend three straight minutes dancing with Stiles, and he had no idea what would happen. Would he see him and freeze? Would he burst into tears? Would he take the song’s advice and just kiss him? None of those options seemed like they'd yield good results. He dreaded it with every inch of his body.

Eventually, the time came. They turned in to face each other. And all at once, Danny’s heart dropped back into his chest, and flooded this weirdly serene feeling through his body. Stiles hadn’t changed. Stiles was just looking at him, eyes sparkling, singing his heart out, and just happy to see him. “Oh, kiss me.” They sang, straight at each other. Looking at him now, Danny felt like an idiot for not realising his feelings sooner. Just the sight of Stiles put things right in his head, and talking to him even more so. God, things had changed since September.

They grasped hands and spun around each other, moving in sync with the music and matching the steps of the other pairs around them. “Kiss me, beneath the milky twilight, lead me…” they continued in harmony. Palms pressed together as they circled each other, Danny was staring straight into Stiles’ eyes, and took something in: Stiles looked just as happy as Danny to be there with him. Dangerous as it was, Danny allowed himself to wonder if maybe Stiles felt the way he did.

Just thinking it felt like taking flight. They moved together like they were made to play off one another. It was more than just tight choreography, it was chemistry. Something you couldn’t fake. As the song went on, Danny continued to let himself hope.

What if Stiles was singing this song with the same longing he was? What if by the time the song ended, he couldn’t even contain it anymore? Kissed him then and there?

His thoughts were dizzying. Just a few minutes ago, he’d finally realised his feelings for Stiles, and now here he was, convincing himself he was going to end up in Stiles’ arms by the end of the song. He thought his mind was moving way too fast, but then he thought again. He may have only just realised these feelings, but they had clearly been there a long time. If he had only just recognised his own emotions, who knew what he missed in Stiles?

He didn’t want to get his hopes up, but he couldn’t help it. It just made sense for Stiles to love him back. After all this time, as strange as it sounded, he couldn’t think of anything making more sense.

“So, kiss me… So, kiss me…” they all harmonised, the song finally coming to a close. Per their ending pose, Danny stood with his arms wrapped around Stiles, their foreheads pressed together. He was breathing hard, head dizzy and electric.

“Stiles.” He breathed. Somehow, Stiles heard him over the applause from the other Seniors. “I… I just-“

“Come on, guys, show’s over!” Scott yelled excitedly, abruptly leading Danny and Stiles offstage. He was disappointed, but in a way he was almost thankful. Because he had no clue what he was about to say.

Danny walked slower, hanging behind friends. As his breath slowly returned to him, his mind settled slightly. Enough to try and think this through.

He had feelings for Stiles, strong ones at that. There was a possibility that Stiles liked him back. Treading slowly towards the table where the Harmonics were taking a well deserved rest, he weighed the positives: he could end up with Stiles, and also Stiles was an understanding person who probably wouldn't freak out on him. Whatever happened it would at least mean closure. Of course, though, there were negatives. Even though Stiles was understanding, remaining friends with someone you've rejected is never comfortable. That would definitely cause some friction in the group, and they didn’t need that with Nationals approaching. Maybe, Danny thought, he should keep these emotions to himself. If they were of any real weight, he’d still feel them by Graduation. And Jesus, what about Graduation? Did he really want to get in a relationship with Stiles right before he went off to college?

He arrived at the table, which was bustling with conversation, and sat quietly at his chair. Looking around at his friends, happy and united, he thought he was making the right call.

But then he looked across the table, and Stiles was there. Drawing his eye and rendering it incapable of looking away. His heart swelled and shrivelled all at once. Then, Stiles turned to him with a grin, and that feeling dropped its floodgates from Danny’s chest and flowed through his body. Danny returned the smile. As he did, he realised he couldn’t keep this a secret. Not forever. Not until June. Right now, he was struggling not to jump up and proclaim it there.

Feeling overwhelmed, he decided to go and get himself some punch. He excused himself quietly and headed to the snack and drink table. The blue cloth draped over it was crumpled and twisted around the bowls that had been dragged around on top of it. Danny wondered for a second if he’d rather take a can from the depleting stack of sodas, then settled on punch, ladeling it into a small paper cup. “Could you pour me some?” Lydia requested from behind him.

He turned around, and handed her the cup he’d been filling for himself. “For the Queen? You get first pick.” He said. She giggled as she took it, but didn’t have time to take a sip before Danny hugged her close, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Congratulations, Lyd. You deserve it so much.”

“Thank you.” She beamed, as Danny pulled back, rubbing his neck. “You hurt your neck on the crown?”

Danny nodded, trying to soothe his discomfort while Lydia laughed. “Pointy.” He remarked.

“Try not to hurt yourself congratulating Stiles.” She joked, but immediately noticed whatever change of expression Danny hadn’t been able to conceal. “What was that?”

"Nothing."

“Really? So, how did you know what nothing I was referring to?”

“You were referring to nothing, because nothing happened.”

Her eyebrow quirked inquisitively, but she stepped closer to Danny and it dropped. Taking his hand, she said, “You know, the longer you wait to congratulate somebody, the more awkward it becomes. If you really do want to say something, it’s best you do it soon.” 

“Well, that’s excellent and completely literal advice for offering someone congratulations on a Prom King victory. With no subtext whatsoever. Thank you, Lydia.” He said sarcastically, reflecting her smirk as they clinked paper cups and each took a drink.

“You take that advice however you want…” she hinted, before winking and walking back to the table.

Left standing alone, Danny had some time to reflect. Lydia’s advice had always been the same: admit your feelings or risk swallowing them forever. He wasn’t about to let slip what he himself had only just accepted to everyone, but he wanted to tell Stiles. And all he’d been told said it was the right thing to do.

So, he made a decision. He would tell Stiles tonight. But not here. He had a plan. Thinking it over in his head, he got excited. It was the perfect way to admit how he felt.

Just as the Harmonics began to disperse from their table to the dancefloor, Danny pulled Stiles' arm so he’d turn and face him. “Congratulations.” He beamed, hopefully doing a good job at hiding his nerves. “You really deserve it.”

“Eh, we both did.” He replied humbly. “I was thinking maybe I should Mean-Girls the crown and we can each take half home.”

“Who needs a friendship bracelet when you have a friendship crown?”

“Exactly!”

Both men laughed, and Danny could feel himself wanting to move closer.

They stood a moment, Danny trying to compose himself into not swallowing his voice, before he was finally ready to speak. “Do you want to get out of here?” he offered anxiously. Stiles’ confused expression didn’t bode well, but his eyes glinted intrigue that bred hope. “We’ll come back, don’t worry. I just want to show you something. Might take some time, but I think it’ll be worth it.”

Stiles extended his hand, entrusting Danny completely. “Lead the way.” He said.

It took Danny a moment, but he took hold of Stiles’ hand. It felt right in this strange, electric way that almost made him yank his hand back. But he didn’t. He walked with him hand in hand, out the door and to his car. Questions were pouring out of Stiles the entire way, but Danny refused to let anything slip. This was going to be a special moment, he couldn’t ruin the surprise.

After a short drive through the town, they found themselves driving up a dark and winding path, radio starting to crackle in the surrounding trees which looked especially dark and twisted in the night. Danny noticed Stiles go worryingly silent.

“Danny, I’m only going to ask this once, and I want you to be honest. Did you bring me here to kill me for winning Prom King? Because I’ll give you the crown. I really don’t care that much.”

“I don’t want your crown. My humiliation can only be repaid in blood.” Danny said blithely, eyes never leaving the road. He nearly broke in the moment Stiles took to consider if he was being serious, but held it together.

“I’m sort of relieved. I actually really like the crown.” Stiles retorted. That finally made Danny laugh, and Stiles followed. “Just tell me! I think you owe it to me since you basically kidnapped me.”

“Oh, so first you’re mad I don’t like you, now you’re mad I like you so much I take you hostage? There’s no winning with you, Stiles.” Danny ribbed. Adequately entertained by Stiles’ wide-eyed exasperation, he assured him, “We’re nearly there, I promise.”

Stiles grumbled in response, but it was the truth. Less than five minutes later, they had reached the top of their incline, and Danny already knew he had made the right choice.

Beacon Hills’ Sunset Cliff was one of their few tourist spots, if it could even be called that. Simply a flat piece of land to park up and watch the sun go down. Truly ground-breaking for Beacon Hills. Until a couple of years prior, Danny never went, because it wasn’t as if Beacon Hills was a particularly pretty town to look down over as the sun set. It was his old friend Jackson who advised him to head up there at night, when the sun was already down. And he was excited for Stiles to see why.

He parked up close to the metal barrier and turned off the engine. Stiles oozed unease, and Danny rolled his eyes with a smirk. “Come on.” He said simply, unclipping his seatbelt. Knowing Stiles would bow to the peer pressure, Danny just got out of the car without a word. He smirked at how quickly the other man followed. As Danny gently sat himself on the hood of his car, he watched Stiles closely.

First, he looked in all the wrong directions, shifting on the spot and staring back at the pitch black trees. As hard as he found it, Danny held his tongue, wanting to see him notice for himself. Eventually, Stiles’ eyes drifted upwards for a moment. The second they dropped again, he froze. Not in fear or confusion, but in realisation of why Danny brought him here. Finally looking out over the edge, Stiles had that look in his eyes Danny was looking for. A gaze of wonderment at the ever-stretching sky, glittered with stars and a large, white moon, gently glowing in the sky.

“Holy shit.” Stiles breathed, too entranced to smile as big with his mouth as he was with his eyes. Danny couldn’t help but notice the sparkle in Stiles’ eye as moonlight gleamed down on him.

“Benefits of a small-ish town with some high spots. Not a whole lot of light pollution. But a hell of a lot of stars.” Danny mused, unable to stop his own eyes drifting out over the horizon. Beacon Hills was a shadow under the night sky, and for the purposes of a view, it was better that way. He turned back to Stiles. “Come on, get up here.”

As Danny patted the empty spot on the hood, Stiles jumped up high and threatened to seat drop on the car to hear the strangled cry of terror Danny would release. The other man glowered, but Stiles found it worth the laugh. “Should have seen your face…” he giggled, finally climbing onto the car safely. Once his laughter had escaped him, he laid there, back against the windscreen, and just stared up in awe. “I mean, you were right. This was worth the drive. And the fear of murder."

Danny chuckled, quickly forgiving Stiles’ prank. "Yeah, I love it up here." he replied.

“I can see why. You know, I never just stop and look at the sky when the sun’s setting, or it’s dark like this and you can see all the stars, but every time I do, I remember how much I love it. And I say, ‘hey, I need to look at the sky more often.’ And then I don’t. So, thank you.” Stiles said appreciatively. 

He was right. The sky was beautiful. But Danny hadn’t been looking at it for some time. “No problem. You should come up here more often.” He offered.

“Dude, just text me whenever. I’ll be there.” Stiles promised, making the other mansmile. “You bring a lot of people up here?”

Danny hesitated for a moment, but bringing Stiles here was about truth. If he chickened out now, he’d never be able to tell him. “Actually, you’re the first.” he answered.

The look Stiles returned Danny was initially disbelieving, but Danny's eyes eventually convinced him it was the truth. “I’m really the first?” he asked. Danny nodded, and Stiles awed gratefully, giving Danny's shin a gentle kick in lieu of traditional affection. He didn't mind. 

There they were. Bathed in moonlight, lying next to each other on the hood of Danny’s car, and their faces were just a few inches apart. “Well, I don’t know many other Prom Kings,” Danny joked, his voice an unintentional whisper. Stiles smirked in response. “Definitely not one I like this much.”

He couldn’t be sure, but he swore a touch of pink crept into Stiles’ cheek. “Careful, dude. You keep talking like that and I might just kiss you.” He joked softly. Though Stiles was playing around, Danny sensed something deeper. He felt sure this was it. This was the moment. But then, Stiles lurched to sit up with a grunt. “And believe me, that is the last thing I want to do.”

Danny froze. He really wasn't expecting that. “What?” he snapped, admittedly hurt.

Turning back around, Stiles realised what he'd said and raised his hands apologetically. “No, no, wow, I’m sorry that came out all wrong.” He chuckled. “I mean, the last thing I want to do right now is kiss _anyone._ Not just you.” He explained.

Danny swore he could feel something breaking inside. “What do you mean?” he inquired, dreading the answer.

With a sigh, Stiles lowered himself back down onto the windscreen. “It’s just… I’ve dated two guys this year. Both times, it was a disaster. And after Regionals, I just got to thinking, what am I even doing it for? What’s the point getting in _another_ relationship? Just to get dumped at Nationals?” Stiles was trying to joke, but his tone betrayed him. What had happened with Liam and Theo affected him more than even Danny realised. “So, I’m swearing it off. No more dating. No boys, no girls, nothing in between or outside of that. At least not until college. I just… I don’t think I can do it again.” Stiles admitted.

Danny wanted to comfort his clearly vulnerable friend. He wanted to hug him and remind him how cherished he was, but he couldn’t even move for the feeling of hollowness in his chest. He thought to himself, over and over, this can’t be happening. This can’t be happening. But he knew it was. Still, he had to hear it once more. Just to try and get that hope out of his system. He swallowed hard, then asked, “And… there’s no one who could change your mind?” through the lump in his throat.

“If there is, I haven’t met them.” Stiles replied. Danny’s eyes closed, and he felt a tear drip down the side of his face. He bit his bottom lip hard to stop it trembling and tried to blink away the moisture in his eyes. “Sorry. I’ll stop making your special place all depressing. It really is beautiful up here.”

"Yeah." Danny said flatly. Maybe he could laugh at the irony of Stiles’ words in a few months. But in that moment, all he could do was stare up. He wasn’t even looking at the stars, really. It was like all he could see was the black in between. And he wasn’t sure whether he wasn’t crying because it hadn’t sunk in yet, or because he felt too empty for tears

It just didn’t feel right. It wasn’t fair. In one foul night, he realised he was in love with this kind, incredible boy he’d gotten so close to, allowed himself to hope that he’d feel the same way, only to be crushed with the realisation that the thought hadn’t even crossed his mind. And probably never would. That wasn’t how it was supposed to happen.

He was supposed to feel the same. He was supposed to have fallen in love the same way he did. But no. Danny had fallen in love alone.

Eventually, the time came to head back to the Prom. They climbed back into the car, and Stiles asked, "So, you got any songs you want to sing in Glee Club before you graduate?"

Unable to make any good conversation right now, he reversed out of his space and said, "Tell me yours first." Effectively setting him off on a tangent, Danny sighed to himself, gripped the steering wheel and made an itinerary in his head for the rest of the night. One last dance for appearances, then driving Stiles, Lydia, and Isaac home. Say as few words as possible, smile as genuinely as he could, and just make it through.

Thankfully, they got back at the school while Stiles was still talking. His songs-before-graduation question had evolved into a rant about how boring The Beatles were. Any other night, Danny would have been thrilled to listen to him, but right now, he just wanted the night to be over.

They headed through the door, and their friends greeted them normally. With all the seniors constantly moving around, their absence had thankfully not been noted. Danny was glad. He didn't want questions. He didn't try to talk to Stiles again, or anyone really. He just meandered around the gymnasium until the time came to head home. In the car, he let Lydia, Stiles, and Isaac do the talking, and let them out at their houses one by one. Thankfully, Isaac was last, who wouldn't question him about Stiles or actually be him. Danny couldn't have handled that. Finally getting Isaac to his door, Danny slowly drove home.

And that was Danny’s senior Prom. If he had been told in his Freshman year that the highlights of the biggest event in his High School career were dancing with Theo and getting jabbed in the neck by Lydia’s crown, he probably wouldn’t have went. If he knew how much it would have ruined his night, he would have tried harder not to develop these feelings for Stiles. Hell, if he knew how hard he’d fall for Stiles, and how devastating it would be to get rejected, he might not have become his friend in the first place.

Whoa, Danny thought as he pulled up to his house. Did he really mean that? Stiles was a great friend. They’d only been close a couple of months, and still they had a lot of great memories together. The Halloween maze, the Christmas fair, performing together at Sectionals and Regionals, even just getting fast food together. They had a great time, every time.

But as Danny poured through those memories on the way up to his bedroom, they now felt as tainted as the night he had just experienced. All building up to the hollowness he felt right now and he never even saw it coming. It was humiliating to think that all this time, everyone had guessed how he felt about Stiles only for it to end like this. He wondered how long it would take for people to guess it didn’t work out. That thought made going to Glee Club the last thing he wanted to do on Monday. And between Glee Club, dance class, and lacrosse, he was going to be seeing Stiles everywhere, pretty much every day, up until graduation. He groaned out loud at the thought.

Laying on his bed, Danny turned to his window. He saw stars. So he got up, closed the curtains and laid back down. Because he didn’t want to see stars anymore. Sure, for a while he thought they were beautiful. Thought he loved them. Went out of his way to see them, but really he didn’t need them. In fact, he could go the rest of his life without seeing another star and be fine.

He tried to just ignore the fact that had he had already started to miss them by the time he’d laid back down. 

There were a lot of thoughts he was trying to ignore, and he honestly didn't know if he could. Breathing deeply, he tried to focus on other things. Nationals were coming. Graduation soon after. He'd already been accepted to college. There were plenty of things to look forward to that didn't involve Stiles and him being together. He hoped in the morning, he'd suddenly feel nothing at all but friendship for Stiles and go back to normal. But now that he was aware of these feelings, he knew in his heart they weren't going anywhere. 


	23. Bittersweet Harmony

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy the chapter! Starting to hit me how close to the end we are, only a few chapters to go. Hope you enjoy one of the final stops to Nationals! If you do, please remember to comment, leave kudos, and bookmark. And thank you to everyone who has already! It means the world :)

What they were doing wasn’t harmonising. There were certainly different notes being sung. They were certainly being sung at the same time. But those were about the only two things going right. Danny couldn’t help it; he looked around him slyly trying to figure out who was off. His eyes met Allison’s, who was wondering the same thing. She looked as appalled as Danny felt. The noise finally stopped.

People clapped, but it was quiet and unsure.

“Let’s… give it up for the Hills Harmonics! Good luck at Nationals, kids.” Principle Adams said, his attempt at congratulations doing a better job at coming across passive aggressive than it did convincing the rest of the students to clap louder.

They all shamefully headed backstage, and the whispering started immediately. “What the hell was that?” Allison hissed to Danny. “Christ, we’re getting worse every time. What the fuck are we going to sound like at Nationals?”

Danny shuddered at the thought. They’d been off since Prom, and it wasn’t getting any better. An off-week or two is one thing, but right they were a shadow of the team they were at Regionals. “Mr Hale is going to kill us.” he groaned. Their teacher’s growing frustration was disheartening. He was doing his best to try and motivate them, but nothing was working, and it was starting to wear on him.

“Was that backing track in a different key or something? Why the hell did we sound like that?” Lydia questioned, touching up her makeup in the mirror. For a moment, Danny felt glad, thinking Lydia was talking to both him and Allison, until he looked beside him and saw she’d dashed to the other side of the room before Lydia could see her. He couldn’t exactly blame her. He’d been making himself scarce when Stiles was around since Prom.

“We’re just off our game.” Danny replied. He was aware it wasn’t reassuring, but at least it was honest. “I just hope we get back on it soon. Maybe a night at the theatre will help us.” he said sarcastically.

Lydia chuckled. The April trip to see a musical together was something they usually looked forward to, but right now no one was feeling it. Or, at least, that was how Danny and Lydia felt. He couldn’t really sense what they were thinking as a collective anymore. As he looked around the room, he could kind of see why. People were split off in pairs, threes, or just standing alone. There was no team. They might as well have been in separate rooms.

Mr Hale walked in, and the dull buzz of conversation died. They all looked at him, expecting the worst, but he was keeping his cool. With a deep breath, he said “Alright. That… was not our best. And I get that not every performance can be. But… well, there’s no other way to say it: we’ve been on a big down-tick recently. I hate to admit it, but with Nationals getting closer, I’m getting worried. We need to do something fast. So… I’m cancelling the theatre trip.” As he said that, Danny heard a mix of disappointed groans, relieved sighs, and neutral silence. “But we’re still going on a trip. The bus will be outside at five. Yes, it’s mandatory.” He instructed.

With that, he was gone, and the Harmonics looked at each other in quiet confusion. To Mr Hale’s credit, this confusion made them feel more unified than they had in months. Danny’s eyes landed on Stiles. It felt like a punch to the sternum. He stood with Scott and Kira, murmuring something likely about the trip. Danny had barely said a word to Stiles since Prom, and Stiles was starting to notice it wasn’t an accident. He’d stopped approaching him in the mornings, he sat further away at rehearsals, he didn’t even question Danny’s absence from dance class. Figuring he had learned enough in four years to afford skipping a couple of classes, Danny thought this would be his best chance at a break from Stiles. But as he looked at him now, it hurt just as much as it did when they were sat under the stars. If time healed all wounds, it sure took its time.

Thankfully, the time until the bus arrived passed a lot quicker.

Danny took Lydia to the drive-through, and they sat in Danny’s car outside the school to eat. “Where do you think we’re going?” Danny asked as the bus came to a halt outside the school. Looking at his phone, Danny saw they still had a few minutes before they needed to be there to meet it.

“Off a cliff. I think he’s finally had enough.” Lydia joked. Danny was grateful for the laugh it brought. He needed it. “Whatever it is, I hope it works. Do you think it’s my fault?”

Danny’s head snapped around. “What? Why would it be your fault?” he inquired.

“Well, everything’s awkward. No one’s on the same page. Everything’s so… separated. And it’s been that way since Allison and I talked at prom. Do you think we… I don’t know, fractured things?”

Finding it hard not to feel guilty, Danny sighed. If Lydia knew what happened between him and Stiles, she’d probably feel better, but he just couldn’t. Instead, he placed a hand on her shoulder and said, “Of course not, Lyd. You and Allison broke up in December. Yeah, you had unfinished business and now it’s a little awkward, but if that was enough to fuck everyone up, we’d have seen it way earlier. There’s probably… other stuff going on.” He concluded vaguely.

Luckily, she didn’t question him, and just nodded. “Yeah. You’re probably right. I noticed a little friction with Erica and Malia, actually. There’s probably a lot going on we don’t know about.” She mused.

“What’s the deal with Erica and Malia?” Danny wondered aloud.

Rolling her eyes with a smirk, Lydia unclipped her seatbelt. “God, you’re oblivious. I’ll tell you later. Time for our mystery trip.”

They made their way over to the bus, and Mr Hale sent them on without as much as a word. It was a little daunting. But not as daunting as the realisation Danny had when he sat down: bus buddies were still in effect. He looked straight ahead, and felt Stiles sit down next to him. Danny’s hands tightened around themselves. For a moment, there was silence, and Danny thought he’d gotten off lucky.

“Danny.”

He was wrong.

“Would you talk to me?” Stiles pleaded. It was a struggle, but Danny managed to meet Stiles’ gaze, which instantly made him feel terrible. He was clearly stressed and upset, and Danny knew he was responsible. “Look, I… I don’t know what I’ve done, but I’m sorry. Really. I’ve been trying to give you space, but I’m scared you’re just… done. With me.”

“Stiles…” Danny began, accidentally whispering. He cleared his throat and continued. “There’s nothing wrong. Really. We’re fine.”

The other man’s expression turned to dismay. Danny wasn’t sure why he thought that lie would work, but it clearly didn’t. “We’re fine? So the fact you haven’t talked to me in weeks is ‘fine’? We… You took me to that spot. And it felt like it mattered, and now it’s just nothing. Something happened, and I want to make it right.” He insisted. Danny looked away, remaining silent. Stiles let out a disgusted sigh. “You know what? I’m not perfect. I get that. But I would never pretend to be your friend then drop you without a word.”

If seeing Stiles felt like blow to the chest, that sentence felt like a bullet. He didn’t want to lose Stiles, or have him think that way about him, but he had no choice. Being around him hurt too much, and he couldn’t bear to confess. So he stayed silent.

Before too long, Mr Hale climbed onto the bus. “So. I bet you’re all wondering where we’re going.” He said obviously. They murmured agreements, and he quietened them with a signal of his hand. “Well, I think you need to be reminded what teamwork looks like. And someone is here to help me do that.”

Mr Hale stepped aside, and someone else climbed onto the bus. Danny’s eyes widened, and he heard gasps around him. Theo stood before them, a sense of confidence in him that Danny hadn’t seen in a while.

“Fuck no. Not happening.” Erica said, standing up and beginning to walk down the aisle.

“Erica…” Mr Hale warned, and she stopped in her tracks.

“No! Why is he here?” Liam demanded. “What? He fucks us over at Regionals and now he’s chaperoning us on a trip?!”

“He’s here to help.” Mr Hale stated, challenging Liam to respond.

Liam met the challenge, asking “Why the hell would we need his help?”

“You realise I saw that performance today, right?” Theo said. The sheer audacity was enough to shut everyone up, even Mr Hale. Theo sucked air through his teeth, realising that was the wrong approach, and took his chance in the silence to explain. “Look. I get it. I fucked up. I’m sorry. But if you guys are going to have a chance at Nationals, you need a shake-up. Let me make up for what I did at Regionals. Mr Hale wouldn’t have agreed to this if he didn’t think it was a good idea.”

It seemed as though almost no one on that bus trusted Theo, bar Hayden and surprisingly Danny. “I say we go for it.” Danny said. He felt everyone turn to him. “It’s not like we don’t need the help.” He pointed out, and reluctant agreement settled in the air. Theo nodded to him gratefully, and Danny returned it.

“Erica?” Mr Hale prompted. She grunted, but took her seat once again. “Okay. Off we go.”

It wasn’t a long bus ride, but it sure felt that way sitting in complete silence. Danny never said a word to Stiles, and Stiles didn’t try to get one out of him. He wanted so badly to turn to Stiles and talk to him, to go back to normal, but there was no normal anymore.

Eventually, they pulled up to some random high school. Danny didn’t recognise the building, but he swore the name rung a bell. Did he know anyone who went to Southridge High? He wracked his brain, but couldn’t come up with anyone.

The doors to the bus swung open, and Theo stepped to the front of the aisle. “Hope you’re all ready for a show.” Theo said vaguely, though without the sickening smirk that always preceded a plan to hurt someone, which made him easier to trust. Danny stood and waited for Stiles to rise to his feet, and as he did looked around at the wary Harmonics, staring at him with looks that said, “ _you better be right about trusting him.”_

Danny hoped he was. But at this point, it’s not like Theo could do much to make them worse.

Finally, Stiles budged and walked off the bus quickly, his interest in trying to talk to Danny completely gone. It stung pretty bad, but Danny just had to remind himself it was better this way. For everyone.

Theo walked into the strange school like he owned the place, and somehow knew exactly where to lead them. Eventually, they started to hear music, and tight, rhythmic… clapping?

Oh, Danny thought. He remembered now.

“Doesn’t that sound familiar?” Lydia whispered to him as they walked.

Danny nodded. “Southridge High. The Rhythm Racers.” Danny revealed, to a gasp from Lydia. The Rhythm Racers placed high at Nationals every year, and Danny was sure they won back when he was a Freshman. He didn’t remember their vocals being too much better than the other groups, but every member was a powerhouse dancer. They were mesmerising.

“Spoilers, Danny.” Theo called over his shoulder. How did he even hear that?

They finally came to the school’s Auditorium door. Much like their costumes in years past, it looked much more expensive than what the Hills Harmonics had. Theo swung it open, and an avalanche of sound came pouring out. Not just from the stage: the audience were clapping along to the basic rhythm of the song so loudly it could have passed for thunder. Theo guided them in, and they trailed him down to the end of the aisle, out of sight of the rest of the audience, but able to perfectly see the stage.

Danny’s jaw was on the floor. Whatever they’d been bringing at Nationals before, they had doubled it ten times. They spun, flipped, kicked, and clapped their hands in a perfect, intricate rhythm to the song they were singing. Collectively, the Harmonics’ eyes spun trying to keep up, while their ears were treated to some truly tremendous voices, better than Danny remembered by a mile.

And they kept that up for another song. And another. And another. The Harmonics started to look around at each other, collectively thinking they must have been on something to keep their energy that high. It was thrilling, and at the same time, demoralising.

Because how the hell were they supposed to beat a team like this at Nationals? Especially with the way they were performing now? Danny felt regret seeping in at trusting Theo. Surely there was no way he thought this would be good for their morale.

At long last, the time came where they could applaud and sneak out before anyone in the audience turned the corner and spotted them. They moved sluggishly, feeling somehow even more deflated after witnessing what a show choir headed to Nationals should look like. Without a word, they all headed back to the bus, even Mr Hale finding it hard not to stare at the ground.

Yet when they all sat down and looked to Theo at the top of the aisle, he looked completely unphased. In fact… he looked expectant. For what? Thanks? He hadn’t exactly done much. The bus rolled along the road for quite a while before Liam finally broke the silence.

“What the hell was that?” he demanded, echoing the thoughts of the rest of the group. "Why did you take us here?"

“Because now you’re all scared.” Theo stated, as if it was an explanation. “And you need that.”

Erica scoffed. “We’re performing like ass every time we get onstage and Nationals is in a few weeks! We’re already scared!”

“No, you were all pissed off at each other. Or confused why people are pissed off at each other. Or completely unaware that people were pissed off at each other.” Theo continued. Intrigued, Danny quirked an eyebrow. He just might be on to something, he thought. Scott’s voice in a low murmur asking who was pissed at who only strengthened Theo’s point.

“But what does showing us some of our biggest competition at Nationals do for us?” Allison asked, genuinely trying to understand.

“Oh, they’re not going to Nationals. They got knocked out at Regionals.” Theo said calmly.

The jaws of all the Harmonics dropped as one.

“Dude, if you don’t get to whatever point this has right now, I swear…” Liam threatened, but then Danny heard him halting himself and breathing deeply, pulling back from the edge. “I will not be happy.” He said calmly. Erica whispered some affirming words to him.

“Fair enough. Yes, they were incredible. And yes, they’re already out of the competition, so God knows what’s waiting at Nationals. But as good as they were, you know what? You guys are better.” Theo said. They all felt similarly confused. Was he mocking them? “Or, you can be. You were. At Regionals. See, turned out there wasn’t another bus back to Beacon Hills for half an hour, so I decided to sneak in and watch you guys perform. See the mess I made. And then you guys absolutely humiliated me because you were… you were unreal. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

The Harmonics began to crane their necks, looking around at each other and remembering the high of performing at Regionals. It seemed like such a distant memory, but Danny felt it coming back to him. They really were incredible.

Theo went on, “And do you know why? Because in that moment, you had something to fight against: me. No matter what was going on between you, or what you were feeling about anyone or anything else, nothing mattered to all of you more than getting on that stage and proving that I couldn’t beat you. And you know, as scared as you all are right now, at least you’re finally on the same page about something. You want to have a chance at Nationals? Stop just coming in and ‘putting your issues aside.’ That’s bullshit. Talk about it, get over it, and focus on _winning._ ”

It was impossible for Danny to deny how impressed he was. And he could feel that the sentiment was shared by the group. Theo was exactly right. Without unity, they would just keep crumbling, and Danny was a part of what was hurting them. He finally started thinking, really thinking about how he’d handled the Stiles situation. Yes, it hurt like hell. It would for a long time. But by cutting him out and pretending he didn’t care, he was losing Stiles completely, hurting him, and fracturing the whole team. He might have told himself it was for the best, but really it was cowardice.

The bus pulled up to the school while Danny was lost in thought, and it seemed like the right time to say something. He turned his head to speak, and saw that Stiles was already gone, only a brief flash of his hair visible as he exited through the bus doors. Danny stood abruptly, waited politely for Kira to get past, for which she thanked him, then headed out the door.

He expected he’d need to call out for Stiles, or even run after him, but as his feet touched the ground he saw him there, looking back at him expectantly. It shook his nerve a little, and he felt his heart beat fast in that way only Stiles could cause. Still, he had to speak to him, and Stiles was clearly expecting it.

As he approached, he passed various pairs of Harmonics having heart to hearts, and Danny’s mind briefly wandered to just how many personal dramas he wasn’t aware of in the group. But when he stepped to Stiles, looking him in the eye, closer than they’d been in weeks, there was no one else in the world but him. “Hi.” Was all he could get out.

“Hey. You ready to talk?” Stiles asked. Though he was clearly upset, he still looked at Danny with this affection, this expectant forgiveness, like all Danny needed to do was explain and he wouldn’t hold it against him another second. It hurt Danny to think he’d been so cold to him.

Danny nodded. “Yeah. I guess I have some explaining to do.” He chuckled nervously. Just as he was about to speak, he realised he had no idea what to say. It was obvious he needed to be honest with Stiles, but he couldn’t bring himself to admit the feelings that broke him so much. Not after all this time. He couldn’t give him the whole truth. But he could give him some. Maybe it would be enough. He hoped so. Taking a deep breath, he continued, “Something happened. And it messed with me really bad. It’s not your fault, and I had no right to treat you like that, but… No, there’s no but. I ignored you and I hurt you and there’s no excuse.” Stiles was confused but receptive, and Danny felt his whole body ache looking into his kind, brown eyes. “I can’t tell you exactly why. I can’t handle it, but I’ll stop. I’ll stop making it your problem, because it’s not, and I know I have no right to, but I'm asking you to just… please not make me tell you. But I am sorry. I'm really sorry.” He whimpered. Tears dripped down his face, no matter how hard he tried to stifle them. He feared Stiles walking away. Or insisting he tell him. He didn’t know what he would do either way.

But then Stiles moved towards him, expression soft and understanding. His arms encircled Danny and pulled him close. For a moment, Danny was too surprised to react, but then he pulled Stiles even closer, the other man’s head resting in the crook of his neck. It was exactly what he needed as a friend, and the most painful thing Stiles could have done in every other way. But he had to deal with that. It was have Stiles as a friend, or not at all. And in whatever way it came, Danny knew he needed him. Eventually, Stiles pulled back, a smile on his face.

“I don’t know what’s been going on. But I know you’re a good friend, so whatever it was, it must have been bad. And I know you weren't pretending to be my friend. I only said that to try and... I don't know, get enough of a rise out of you to talk? I don't know, it was dumb. I'm sorry. If you ever do want to tell me, I’ll be here, but… I’ve just missed you. I’ve missed you at dance class, Saturday breakfast, hell, I’ve missed you at rehearsals and you were right there.” He joked. Danny laughed thankfully, wiping his eyes. “I’m sorry you’ve been having a hard time. I just want to be there for you. In whatever way you’ll let me.”

When Stiles squeezed his hand supportively, Danny couldn’t help but intertwine their fingers and hold tight. “I’ve really missed you too.” He managed to croak out. Holding his hand was bittersweet. Just what he needed, but a reminder of what he’d never have. It was something he had to accept, and the first step was just letting go of his hand. It took a moment. But he did it.

“Hey, Danny.” Lydia called. Danny turned to see her smiling, eyes a little wet and standing beside Allison. There was no dark cloud around them for the first time in forever. Whatever they said to each other, it went a long way in fixing things. “You ready to go?

Danny turned back around to Stiles, who gave him a small nod, then ruffled his hair. “Get out of here, you.” He said affectionately. “See you tomorrow?”

It was music to his ears. “Yeah.” He replied. “Can’t wait. Thank you.”

There were far too many things Danny was thankful for from Stiles. So many he couldn’t list them all. So he just said thank you. And Stiles waved him off, smiling as big as he ever had. Danny turned and motioned for Lydia to lead the way. “See you later, Allison.” Danny said as he passed her.

“Bye, Danny.” She returned, more peaceful than he’d heard her pretty much since the start of the year. It brought him joy to think she was finally on the way up.

As they approached the car, Danny saw Theo getting into his car. He went away without a word, without demanding anything, and Danny thought he deserved to know how much he’d helped. “Hey, Theo.” He said. The other man looked up. “I think you just saved this team. Thank you.” He said.

Theo nodded, a proud smile on his face, and Danny felt that pride along with him. For years, Theo had been nothing short of horrible, but now here he was, making amends and continuously being a better person, asking for nothing in return. He deserved a token of thanks. Danny had an idea, and buried it in his brain for later. “Thank you.” He replied simply, getting into his car, and driving off.

“You’re right. We might actually have a shot at Nationals now. And it’s all because of him. Who’d have thought?” Lydia questioned rhetorically, with a short laugh. They continued walking, and she turned her attention to Danny. “So, how was your talk with Stiles?” she asked.

“Good. I needed it.” Danny said, managing to quell his body from producing more tears. “How was talking to Allison?”

Lydia climbed into Danny’s car with a relieved sigh. “Really good. We just… we’re way better than we were. Way better.”

“That’s great.” Danny replied. As he put the car in gear, he put an arm around her shoulder for a quick side-hug before they went on their way.

Still mulling over conversations that the other didn’t need to know the full extent of, they drove in peaceful silence. They came to her house, and Lydia thanked Danny, heading inside and wishing him a good night with a kiss on the cheek.

Danny drove in silence. He felt like there was a balloon in his chest. There was this uncomfortable tightness, and too much air. Talking to Stiles had been healing, but it coaxed the emotion out of him that he’d been repressing for weeks. And now there’d been a leak, he could tell a flood was coming.

Sure enough, he pulled up outside his house, and felt it coming. So he let it. First, his breath got faster, willing water to the surface of his eyes. Then, it started to fall down his face. He whimpered, then sobbed hard. His head met the steering wheel as he cried. It was everything he felt on Prom night, but now he was letting it out. Because now he wasn’t just in a weird place with Stiles. He was friends with him again. And now it was clear that would be all he’d ever get. It seemed stupid, but he felt so close to getting Stiles, and then it was ripped away from him before he could even enjoy the feeling of falling. It was a devastating blow Danny couldn't prepare himself for, because he'd never felt for anyone what he did for Stiles. And there was nothing he could do about it.

It took a long time, but finally he regained his composure. He felt light-headed. Empty, but in this deeply purifying way. Like he’d purged the worst of the sadness, and now, for a moment, there was peace. If anything, it went to show Danny again that he should have just talked to Stiles in the first place. Sure, it hurt, but time would eventually bury those feelings. He was sure about it. And at the end of it all, he’d still have Stiles. Maybe not in the way he wanted most, but deep in his heart, he knew he’d rather have Stiles and hurt than not have him at all.


	24. The Last Dance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Sorry it's been so long since my last update. I've been really busy, and for whatever reason writing this chapter really kicked my ass. Nevertheless, it's our last chapter before we head off to Nationals, and I'm very excited to get started on that! Hope you all enjoy, and remember to leave kudos (if you haven't already), comments, and bookmarks if you're liking the story!

No matter how Danny tried to smooth them down, his tights would not stop bunching at the waist. After a final failed attempt, he grimaced and chose to ignore it. There was no way he was getting out of his leotard to try and fix it again.

Instead, he sat at the dressing table between Scott and Stiles’ and smoothed down his hair, trying not to squint from the glare of the obnoxiously large light bulbs that framed the mirror. Even at his final dance performance, he couldn’t appreciate those little annoying things, though he could sense that eventually he would come to miss them. Still, he expected to feel different. The end of a four year journey should feel more climactic, he thought. But really it felt just as any other dance show did. Perhaps because he knew he had much bigger endings coming soon.

Nationals were one short week away, and Graduation not so long after. It was scary to think about all he was leaving behind.

He turned to Stiles. The thought didn’t leave him. As the other man sat scrolling through his phone, occasionally sipping from a water bottle, Danny stole a moment just to look at him, never knowing when it would be his last chance. The past few weeks had been tough and delightful in equal measures. He and Stiles picked up right where they left off, and when the Harmonics went back to rehearsal, that fire from Regionals flickered, spat, then roared as they cleared the path to Nationals. They were as good as they’d ever been, and when the day came, Danny knew they would be even better.

Still, looking at Stiles was no easier. Knowing he didn’t feel the same, feeling the shame of being in love with one of his closest friends, and wondering where the hell this emotion would go once High School was a thing of the past.

The time came to look away. A glance is a glance, but staring would be creepy.

Thankfully, Scott offered a needed distraction. “So, Danny. We started together, and we’re ending together, so now there’s just one more question… which one of us is the better dancer?” he asked, breaking tension he didn’t even know was there.

Danny smirked, meeting the playful challenge. “I mean, you get points for improvement, but… so do I, and I get more.” He replied.

“Please. When I dance, the whole world stops.”

“And that’s why you’re always at the back of the stage?”

“Exactly! I’m too powerful to put at the front!”

Stiles interjected, “As someone who can’t dance but has seen both of you do it, Danny is better. Like, _way_ better.”

Danny laughed victoriously and Scott scoffed in mock dismay. “I wouldn’t have let you two become friends if I knew this would happen.” Scott grumbled.

“Too late, you made your bed now.” Danny replied, before turning to Stiles. “And hey, you can dance.”

Stiles’ eyes got just a little bigger. “Really?”

“Yeah.” Danny assured. “You just shouldn’t.”

His face dropped so hard it was almost comical. Scott and Danny laughed as he stuck his middle finger up and went back to his mirror. It felt for a moment like things were back to normal, until Danny realised his hand was on Stiles’ shoulder, and suddenly felt this strong surge of shame. Like he was lying to Stiles, and getting closer than he had a right to. He quickly withdrew his hand. As he went to fix his stage makeup, he heard Hayden’s voice. “Hey!” she called out to them. Danny turned and waved, saying a silent thanks that they’d been allowed backstage.

Scott and Stiles also turned to see her standing with Theo, who was clearly confused as to why he was there. She brought him closer, and the boys stood to greet him, offering a variety of high fives and shoulder claps which tried hard not to be awkward, with some success. They had meant to talk to him earlier, but time slipped by, and this was their last chance before they went into intensive rehearsals for Nationals. Theo’s eyes tried not too dart between the three men too nervously. “Good to see you guys. Hayden said I should come talk to you?” he questioned.

Danny had been planning this since the night Theo took them to see the Rhythm Racers. He thought it only right that after proving he was on their side and staying out of the Harmonics’ business all these months, that he get some kind of recognition. Thankfully, the rest of the team agreed.

“We got to talking after the trip, and we realised that you pretty much saved our asses.” Danny began.

Scott nodded. “We were about to walk in and leave in last place. As Seniors. That’s almost worse than losing Regionals.” He stated, as Stiles nodded supportively.

“So, we all agreed that you deserve a thank you. You made it clear you didn’t want to perform at Nationals, and at this point it’d be too late anyway, but you’re one of the only Seniors who was a Harmonic right from the start. You proved you weren’t messing with us anymore, and so we want you to join the Senior Performance at Graduation.” Danny offered.

Theo’s whole body perked up, both in shock and excitement, as a tentative smile spread across his face. “I- Really?” was all he could get out.

All three men nodded while Hayden squeezed his hand. Stiles continued, “We leave for Nationals Friday. We start rehearsing for Graduation Monday. You in?”

“Yes! Yeah, I totally…” he trailed off a moment, as his excitement turned to a soft and humble appreciation. “Thank you. Really. This means a lot.”

It was genuine. Vulnerable. Heart-warming. _Theo_ was being all of those things. He was a far cry from the man he was at the start of the year, and it made Danny certain that this was the right choice.

“Congratulations.” Hayden squealed, knowing just how much this meant to Theo. “Okay, that’s all I dragged you here for. You can head home now if you want. Thanks again for the ride.”

“I kind of want to stay actually. If that’s cool with you guys?” Theo asked, and the boys nodded to each other, slightly surprised.

Hayden was more than happy to have him there, and held his hand tight. “Okay. Let’s go get in line.” She said, starting to pull Theo away with a wave to the others. “Break a leg, guys.”

They all thanked her and went back to their dresser tables. In the mirror, Danny saw Theo give Hayden a tight squeeze as they walked, and it warmed him. But that warmth left when he looked in the other side of the mirror, and saw Stiles looking down, eyes dark and framed with knitted brows. Scott was distracted by a girl he was blissfully unaware was flirting with him, so Danny turned in his seat to Stiles and lowered his voice. “Hey. You okay?” Danny asked.

Stiles looked up. From his expression, Danny could tell he felt caught, but also seemed to be glad about who by. He leaned forward in his chair, chewing his cheek. “Just, talking to Theo, got me thinking about graduation. And I guess just high school. How... close it all is.” He pondered aloud.

“We’re all nervous. I mean, it’s the biggest thing that’s ever happened to us. But you’ll be okay.” Danny reassured, wanting to rest a hand on the other man’s shoulder but giving into his nerves before he could.

Stiles nodded, but his face didn’t move. “I know. But…” His fingers fidgeted against each other as he struggled to put into words what he was feeling. Danny gave him the time to search his mind for the right phrasing. “So, this year’s been awesome. I mean, I just joined Glee club for fun, and to see, uh, Scott more. But it’s been the best part of the whole thing. All four years. And yeah, sure, high school went well for me, but I don’t know. I feel stupid for not joining earlier, for wasting so much time on lacrosse, and it’s just like… as well as it went, what if it could have been better? And what if that’s what everything’s like?” he wondered. It wasn’t wholly regretful, more ponderous, but with a clear edge of worry.

This time, Danny did place a hand on Stiles’ shoulder, and felt him relax under his touch. It made his breath hitch, and he forced himself to focus. “Nothing ever goes exactly the right way. But there’s always good stuff. I get it’s hard not to think about what the past four years could have been, but hey, you’re here now. You love it now. Maybe you wouldn’t have been into it when you were a Freshman and you would have quit. And you wouldn’t be here now.” He reasoned. Stiles nodded, expression softening. “This is the way things are. And that’s the only way they ever could have been. So just enjoy it. Don’t waste time thinking about maybes when you’ve always been doing your best.”

Stiles sat a moment, then gave Danny’s cheek a light pinch with a smirk. “Thank you.” He said simply, before abruptly sitting up in his seat. His energy renewed like nothing Danny had ever seen. “And hey, it’s not like I have to stop singing after high school. Maybe San Diego has a Glee club.” Stiles suggested.

Though he smiled, it was another painful reminder for Danny. He would be in Manhattan while Stiles stayed in California. Even if Stiles did by some miracle want to be with him, was there really any way it would work?

Danny supposed there was no point worrying about it. Stiles wasn’t interested. That was the way it was. And it was the only way it could have been.

So, he shut out the future for the moment. At their teacher's instruction, the dancers circled around for last minute notes before the beginner’s call. Danny focused on that moment. The notes, arbitrary, constructive, and kind in equal measure. His friends, sparkling with excitement and determination. Not the sadness of the last ever notes, or the fact this may be one of his final chances to see that sparkle. He had what he had now, and if he wasted time thinking about what could have been, he’d ruin this show for himself, and Nationals for that matter.

When Stiles squeezed his hand and looked up at him with dazzled excitement, Danny let his heart skip but blocked his brain from wanting more. Or tried to, at least. Danny cheered with the rest of the group, then took a seat to do some stretching as the crowd dispersed, similarly getting in some last minute warmups. He high fived Stiles, who walked away to get some water. Danny forced himself not to stare too long, and split his legs wide, reaching forward and trying to get his chest to the floor.

He felt a familiar pair of hands on his shoulder blades gently easing him down, and grunted with satisfaction. “Thanks, Scott.” Danny groaned. “How you feeling?”

“Pretty good. How’s Stiles? I saw you guys talking.” Scott questioned.

“Really? I thought you were too busy getting hit on by Ashley.” Danny retorted.

“Oh, so it was serious? Okay, I won’t pry.” Scott said knowingly. Damn it, Danny thought. Scott picked up on the deflection. Had he somehow gotten perceptive? “And Ashley wasn’t hitting on me, she just wanted me to check her hair was done right.”

Never mind, Danny thought as he got up from his stretch to face Scott. “Right. Sometimes I forget about your background as a stylist.” He jabbed, and Scott scoffed in response, handing Danny his water. “He’s fine. Just… a little freaked. We all are. But he seemed better when I talked to him.”

“He always does.” Scott replied, not meaning to be half as cryptic as he was. He must have caught the change in Danny’s expression. “I mean, he mentioned you two talked at the Christmas markets, and I saw you two at Regionals, and… He talks about you a lot. It’s a good thing, man. You really helped him out this year.” he explained. With that, he gave Danny a pat on the arm and a wide grin.

Danny hoped the heat in his cheeks wasn't a visible blush. “I’m glad. He’s a really great guy.” Danny said, almost in a whisper. If Scott noticed anything, he didn’t mention it. Because he too was a great guy. Danny pulled him into a sudden hug, suddenly giving into last-show sentimentality for a moment. Scott didn't question it, and hugged him back.

They released as a stagehand called beginners, and Danny suddenly noticed the buzz of crowd conversation in front of the black curtain. The lights around the mirrors were shut off as the hall lights dimmed, and the conversation around them died. Danny took his place behind Scott in line, a fun idea striking him.

“Hey.” Danny whispered. A tiny twist of Scott’s neck said he was listening. “The whole Glee club’s here. How about we let them decide who the best dancer is, and the other one has to pay for lunch.” He challenged, to a low whistle from Scott.

“Bad move, buddy. You’re on.” He accepted, shaking Danny’s hand over his shoulder.

The music started, the audience cheered, with a particularly loud section of teenagers whooping with deliberate obnoxiousness when Danny, Stiles, and Scott walked on, and the show began.

And then it ended.

Of course, there was some stuff in between. Dancing, mostly. It was fun, it was exciting, it was emotional, and like everything of that nature, it was over before he knew it. Danny always thought performing felt like a memory before it felt like it was happening. That was kind of the beauty of it, he thought as he took his final bow on this small, dingy, and loveable stage. He gave a sly wave to the Harmonics standing in the crowd and jogged backstage, making a run for the towel he left draped over his chair.

As he went between wiping sweat and needily gulping water, he caught sight of Stiles with his bottle hanging out his mouth while he laid out his clothes in the order he planned to put them back on. He couldn’t help but find it adorable. Before he could look away, Stiles caught his gaze. Danny couldn’t even worry about judgement before Stiles gave him a wide grin from around the bottle. Which released a mouthful of water straight onto his t-shirt. Danny chuckled and reached into his bag while Stiles whined, and pulled out a fresh white t-shirt, handing it to him. Stiles looked up questioningly, and Danny tapped the side of his head with his index finger. “It’s always the t-shirt that gets it. I come prepared.” Danny explained. He couldn’t explain it, but if anything got messed up in a dressing room, it was always a t-shirt. And if anything got lost, it was shoes. Rule of thumb.

“Thanks, man.” Stiles slurred, still not releasing the bottle from between his teeth.

Danny began to change, turning his attention to Scott. “Well, Scott, I think that was our best one ever.” He observed, pulling his thankfully unharmed t-shirt over his head.

“I think you’re right. I’ve got to say, though, it’s going to be pretty bitter when everyone says I was better than you and you have to shell out for my dinner.” Scott teased, jumping into his jeans and nearly stumbling into a fall. His face bled defeat, and he rolled his eyes as Danny sniggered. 

With Stiles, there was no conversation while he changed. Danny looked to Scott or to his own clothes, his bag placed in front of the mirror to avoid any chance reflections. It just felt too much like leering. And leering was a trap Danny knew he’d fall into.

Because realising he liked Stiles made way for him realising just how attracted he was to him. He always knew that objectively Stiles was a handsome guy, but now Danny noticed his kind, sparkling eyes, his soft, pink lips and how they curled upwards into that smile he was always waiting to see, the sparse freckles spread across his perfect skin.

"God." he whispered to himself, struggling not to roll his eyes at his own thoughts. And how hard they made his heart beat.

He hoped these feelings would too become a memory before he knew it.

When the three men were finally dressed, they headed out to meet their friends in the foyer. They cheered and ran up to hug the exhausted boys. While being held tight by Lydia, Danny noticed Theo standing with them, on the edge but still integrated, and gave him a smile that he met with a thumbs-up.

“Great job, guys! How do you feel?” Allison beamed, ruffling Scott's hair and immediately regretting it. She wiped her wet hand on her jeans and took a step back.

“Tired.” Stiles gasped, to a laugh from his friends. “And _very_ hungry. So, can we talk more at the restaurant?”

Everyone quickly agreed and headed out into the parking lot. The sun was slowly settling, painting the sky an elaborate gradient of pinks and oranges into slowly darkening blue. Danny admired it as he opened his car door, before catching sight of how the colours of the sky illuminated Stiles’ face while he waited for Scott, and letting his eyes lay there. He couldn’t help it. He knew he had it bad, and time only seemed to make his infatuation stronger.

“Danny?” Lydia called from inside. Danny snatched his attention away from Stiles and placed it on his friend. “I get you’re tired, and you did wonderful, but, I don’t want to get stuck on the end of a booth. This team has the collective bladder strength of my grandma, and I’m not getting up every ten seconds to let someone out.” She pleaded. Danny snickered and climbed into the car. “So, you seen the room assignments for Nationals?”

“No, who are we with?” Danny questioned as he tried to beat the others out of the parking lot.

“Okay, so it’s single gendered because the hotel insisted, which is so stupid, because there’s, like, two straight people in the whole club.”

“That many?” Danny joked as his heart started to pump, realising that he might end up rooming with Stiles. He wouldn't know how to handle that.

“If they’re lucky. So, anyway, two people to a room, but they’re next to each other so we can visit until curfew – don’t get me started on Mr Hale giving us a curfew – and I am with Hayden, who doesn’t seem like a snorer, so I'm happy. And you are with, let me check…” she trailed off as she scrolled through the email on her phone. Danny’s hands tightened around the wheel as he thought, please. Please, not Stiles. He couldn’t handle it. “Isaac.”

Oh.

He really didn’t expect that to work out.

“Sweet.” Danny replied, though before long his relief made way for heavy disappointment hanging to his ribs. It frustrated him that even though he knew this was for the best, his stupid brain couldn’t help but wish he was rooming with Stiles. What did he even think would happen?

Reluctant hope was a real bitch.

“Is it?” Lydia prodded with concern. “Were you hoping for someone else? Someone in particular?” Damn how easily she caught on, Danny thought. She sighed at his silence and turned to him in her seat. Her voice was now a low, calming hum. “Look, Danny, I don’t want to keep bringing the same shit up, but… I saw how upset you got when you talked to Stiles a few weeks ago. I noticed all the distance after Prom. And ever since, there’s been this…” Danny felt like he was about to throw up. His breathing had picked up, and he was doing a bad job at hiding it. Lydia couldn't hide the worry in her voice. “I know there’s something bothering you. And whether it’s what I think or not, I really think it’d be a good thing for you to talk about it-“

Abruptly, Danny pulled over to the side of the road, silencing Lydia. A car honked as it drove past, and Danny sat in silence, taking no notice. The silence lasted. “Lydia, I…” he finally breathed, unable to summon any power into his voice. He took a deep breath, and turned to her. “I can’t say it. Okay? I can’t say it.” He let out quickly. It felt like a confession. He wondered if she took it as one.

There was a still silence, until Lydia closed her hand over Stiles’ on the wheel. “I understand.” She said calmly, and turned back around in her seat. Danny sighed and mouthed a ‘thank you’ as he signalled and got back onto the road and continued on his way. It was the understanding he needed. The last thing he wanted was for this to be a big deal to people. It was already a big enough deal in his head.

And he didn’t want that. He wanted a close, intense, fiery last week of rehearsals, a fight to the finish at Nationals, a graduation surrounded by his friends, and a killer party to close out his senior year. All of those things were achievable. But if he gave into his mind’s incessant fixation on Stiles, he wouldn’t enjoy a goddamn second. Sure, he wanted Stiles too, but there was nothing to fight for. He was already lost.

So he’d keep trying to smother those thoughts as long as he had to, and focus on enjoying his time with his beloved team. And that started with his upcoming meal.

The frequent buzzing in his pocket indicated a conversation was happening in the Harmonics chat. While he parked, Lydia spoke up for the first time since the journey went quiet. “So, apparently everyone but Boyd and Liam thinks you’re a better dancer than Scott.” She said, impressed.

Danny smiled, the thought of a free meal offering a much needed pick-me-up. “Look at that, I didn’t even need to rig the vote this time.” He joked, to a chuckle from Lydia. They were going back to normal, ignoring the moment Danny just had. He needed that.

He locked up his car, and mentally prepared himself for heading into the restaurant. Actively trying to clear his head seemed counterproductive, but if he let his mind relax, he knew where it would go. This was hard. He knew it would be, even if he didn’t know just how difficult it would be. But he could do it. And when graduation came, hopefully with a Nationals win behind it, he’d be glad he did.


	25. Ghost Of You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are at Nationals! This is part 1 of the Harmonics in D.C., before they compete, and next chapter we'll finally see if they become champions! For now though, I hope you enjoy this chapter, it's a preeetty big one in its own right. Remember to leave kudos, comment, and bookmark if you're enjoying the story!

As his muscles unwound under a stream of hot water, Danny sighed with relief, breathing in the surrounding steam. The day before Nationals always left him exhausted, but this day had been especially intense. He thought the week beforehand was tough until he left their allotted rehearsal time practically crawling. Though he and the rest of the Harmonics were tired, they were also ready. The last blast of rehearsals were as incredible as they were arduous. Their single-minded drive to take home the win had brought them closer than ever, and made them the strongest they’d ever been.

Massaging his shoulders as he spread soap around his body, Danny couldn’t help but think this would actually be the year they won. Sure, even getting to Nationals was great, but he was hungry to leave on both a lacrosse and show choir Championship. It would be the perfect ending.

 _Almost_ perfect, his brain rudely corrected him. Danny sighed. Whenever he felt too happy about what was happening, his cruel mind liked to remind him of Stiles. He’d gotten better at tuning it out, but it still stung knowing that as wonderful as a win would be, he would still feel like something was missing.

He was brought back to the present by the sudden opening of his hotel room door. “Danny!” Scott called, his voice muffled by the bathroom door and trickling water. “Isaac gave me his key and told me to make you hurry. You ready yet?”

Danny rolled his eyes. “Do you hear the shower? What do you think?” he replied.

“I think I'm going to keel over if I don't eat something in the next hour.” Scott groaned, a subsequent grunt saying he had made himself comfortable on one of the beds.

At the mention of hunger, Danny’s stomach started to growl at him. Though reluctant to leave the warm water behind, he turned the shower off and dried himself quickly, now also more than ready for dinner.

As he exited the bathroom, towel slung low around his hips, he heard a low whistle from Scott that drew daggers. “What? It’s a compliment.” Scott joked.

“How come with everyone else on earth, you're Prince Charming, but you just look at me like a piece of meat?” Danny replied, fishing his clothes for the evening out of his suitcase and laying them on his bed.

“Hey, I would never look at your piece of meat. I’m a taken man.” Scott said, laughing at the grunt it elicited.

“Well, at least it isn’t out of respect for me or anything. Could you turn around?” Danny requested.

Scott turned over on his side, relaxing in a way that seemed to dangerously approach a nap. “Just think, Danny. This might be the last times I push the boundaries of our friendship by hitting on you. Soak it in.” Scott sighed, snuggling into the dingy, yellow pillow. He was definitely approaching a nap.

While he pulled on his underwear, he tossed deodorant in the air and let it clatter to the ground. Scott jumped, and Danny knew he’d successfully warded off his unconsciousness for the moment. “What a tragedy.” He retorted.

Scott was quiet a moment, enough to make Danny look up from the socks he was putting on. Finally, Scott said, “Do you think we’ll still hang out after this is all over?”

“Oh, for God’s sake, Scott. Of course we will. It’s the digital age, I don’t need to be in the state to talk to you.” He replied, incredulously enough that he hoped it would quell all of Scott’s fears as he continued throwing on his clothes.

His chuckle said it helped, but he wasn’t quite convinced. “True. It’s just, I don’t know, I feel like I already saw less of you this year. How’s it going to be when you’re in New York?” Scott replied.

Danny took a moment to consider this as he laced up his shoes. They had all these rehearsals, and dance, and lacrosse, but it was true. They didn’t quite feel like the inseparable duo they did Junior year. The one on one time that used to be so common had faded away over the year, and the fact Danny didn’t notice worried him slightly. He considered if Scott was right, until he reached comforting relief in realising why. “You’re right. And I’m sorry. But even if I haven’t seen you the same amount, I still care about you just as much. I’m dressed, by the way.”

With that, Scott swung his legs around and mirrored Danny’s position of sitting with legs dangled off the beds. “Really?” he asked, though his smile said he was eased.

It brought a similar smile to Danny’s face. “Really. And we might talk more or less depending on the day, or the year, but that’s not going to change.” He promised.

“Good. Because it was never just about being in the same clubs for me.” he said tentatively. It was vulnerable, pure, and straight from his heart. It was deeply endearing, and had Danny feeling almost melancholic for a moment, that his friend's kind energy would soon be one that he didn't get to feel so often.

“Me neither.” Danny assured, sitting in that tender moment for a while, looking at Scott with affection until he jumped up and lightly slapped his knee. “Now, come on. We’re hungry.”

“Oh, God, we’re so hungry.” Scott whined as he followed Danny out the hotel room.

As they walked, a chime came from Scott’s pocket that he inspected as they walked downstairs. “Oh, nice, Stiles is coming for dinner with us!” he buzzed, stopping dead a few moments after Danny did. There was a silence. Then Scott questioned, “Is… that not okay?”

Danny felt a beat of his heart particularly hard as he felt Scott’s eyes boring into him. He turned around with a hopefully convincing grin and said, “Of course it’s okay, I just… thought he was going with the others.”

“He was.” Scott said, beginning to walk again, either taking no notice of Danny’s less than subtle pause, or choosing to ignore it. “Until he realised they were planning on just wandering around looking for a nice ‘authentic restaurant,’ and like we said…”

“There’s no such thing as D.C. cuisine.” Danny said, in unison with Scott. It had been a sore point of contention in the group, likely emphasised by how exhausted they were after rehearsals, but Danny wasn’t backing down.

“Exactly. So now it’s Isaac and the dynamic dancers settling for a reliable chain pizza.” Scott proclaimed proudly.

“Stop calling us that.” Danny sighed with a roll of his eyes and an undeniable grin.

Scott snickered as he pushed open the door to the lobby. When he caught sight of Stiles, Danny felt himself falter, but quickly regained his composure in time for Stiles to turn and notice him. “Hey! Hope it’s okay I’m crashing?” he beamed, his usual energy tamed by tiredness, but his golden mood unchanged.

The amount of warmth it gave him prompted a flicker of shame. He shook it off. “You’re more than welcome.” Danny smiled.

His words made Stiles look to the floor with flattery. It was adorable. And it was killing him. But it was just dinner. He could get through this.

He could get through this.

Repeating that in his head all the way to the restaurant and through dinner had done nothing but keep his mind on Stiles while the other three men were talking, laughing, really enjoying this time together. His guilt over his feelings for Stiles piled onto his guilt over wasting this time with his friends was starting to overwhelm him, so he to decided distance himself from the moment, to look out the window to his left at the darkening sky. Stars were just starting to appear, racing the sun down to the horizon as the roaring reds and golden yellows of sunset started to dissipate. He was drawn away from the sky by a finger poking at his balled up hands on the table. He turned to see Stiles looking across at him curiously. “You okay?” he asked quietly, while Scott and Isaac had an emphatic discussion next to them.

Staring into Stiles’ sparkling eyes, his heart caught in his throat as he tried to speak. He was able to get it back down to his chest before the silence became too long. “Yeah. Just nervous, I guess.”

“About the competition? Dude, we’re going to nail it. If we don’t win on talent alone, we’ll win on Scott’s sex appeal.” Stiles assured optimistically, offering a hand out to Scott, which he high-fived without even needing to break from his own conversation.

“I know, it’s just…” Danny chuckled before trailing off. Stiles looked at him expectantly while he searched for the words. “It’s scary staring something in the face that you want so much when you know it’s such a long shot.” His heart pounded as his disguised confession settled onto Stiles.

The blithe smile on his face didn’t falter, and Danny sighed in relief. “You know what you need? A distraction.” Stiles said ominously, before pulling a flyer out of his pocket and sliding it across the table. It stuck out starkly against the dark wood, reading “ _DC Ghost Tour_ ” in a typically spooky font. Danny quirked an eyebrow with intrigue. “Surprise. I booked us a slot.” He sang excitedly.

Danny let out a short laugh, grinning at Stiles’ sweetness. “Why?” he asked gratefully.

“I know you’re stressed out. And I know you share my love of all things scary. Thought it might be a fun way to loosen you up before the big day.” Stiles explained, hands gesturing in that way they did when he was proud, or excited. Or both, as it turned out.

It touched Danny. And it hurt him to know the entire time he’d be stressed out of his mind trying to be cool while alone around Stiles, after he’d went out of his way to be so kind. There was only one solution. Act his ass off, and convince Stiles it had cured him of any worries he had. “Thank you. This is going to be awesome.” He said, with enough vigour that Stiles was satisfied.

The evening passed in a blur around Danny as the pit in his stomach pinned him down. They ate, paid, and before Danny knew it, he was three stops deep into a ghost tour with a host just slightly too enthusiastic to be scary. Though he thought hard, he couldn't remember a word of what had been said at the previous two stops, just the effort to keep this constant excitement maintained on his face, should Stiles ever turn to him and make sure he was enjoying himself. Scott and Isaac were probably back at the hotel by that point, as clueless to how Danny felt as Stiles hopefully was. Consciously keeping his shoulders relaxed and pinning a smile to his lips, Danny thought he was probably getting away with it.

“Spooky, right?” Stiles whispered.

“I’ll never sleep again.” Danny snarked quietly. He then felt something on his back. Fingertips. Travelling slowly up his back. 

“Makes you think. There could be ghosts around us right now.” Stiles said, far too obviously, and Danny decided he could have some fun with this. Without a word, he slowly reached behind his back, then suddenly grasped Stiles’ hand. He yelped. Loud. Everyone turned to stare at Stiles, who quickly went red. He let out a nervous giggle. “Just getting into the spirit.” He strained.

The group turned back around to the irritated host, some looking Stiles up and down first. Danny could barely keep in his laughter.

“Oh, you want to dance, Danny-boy?” Stiles challenged under his breath. “Let’s dance.”

“Bring it.” Danny breathed.

They both brought it, much to the dismay of the rest of their group. For the next hour or so, they successfully scared each other back and forth, their laughter slowly getting more and more obnoxious. Heckling didn’t stop them. A scolding from the tour guide didn’t stop them. They were just having too much fun to care.

It passed quickly, but not that sick quick like dinner did. He was having fun. As they walked back to the hotel, Danny thought about how terrifying Stiles was to think about with all the emotion that came with, but how safe and eased he made him feel in person. That’s what made him so dangerous, Danny thought. He was so easy to love, you didn’t even realise you were falling for him.

“Well, here we are.” Stiles said as they reached Danny’s room.

Danny opened the door, but hung in the doorway facing Stiles. “Your room’s all the way down there. You didn’t have to walk me back.” Danny said, though he was clearly still thankful.

“A gentleman always accompanies a lady back to her door. Or, you know, another gentleman.” Stiles said, with a stupid bow. It made Danny laugh.

“Well, thank you.” Danny replied. For a moment, he and Stiles just looked at each other. Lingeringly. He swore he saw Stiles’ cheeks started to glow pink, in the same way he felt his own. He tried not to let himself read into it. “And thank you for tonight. Really, you… You always try so hard to make me smile. Even though you always do it anyway.” Danny let himself pour out. He felt how short his breath was, and tried not to gulp in air too obviously.

Stiles’ eyes crinkled as his pursed lips widened into an embarrassed yet grateful grin. “Well… you deserve to smile. You’re…” he stopped, and Danny’s heart jumped in anticipation of something he knew wouldn’t come. Or that’s what he told himself. No, he stopped himself. It wouldn’t. “You’re my favourite.” He finally concluded, punching Danny sweetly on the shoulder.

All at once, his chest burst and shattered. His favourite. It felt like Stiles was dangling what he wanted in front of him without even knowing. Or maybe he did, he couldn't help but think. “Do you want to come in for a while?” Danny said, before his mind could catch him.

“Oh…” Stiles breathed, his eyes widening slightly, before he nodded with a sweet smile. “Yeah. I'll text Scott and let him know where we are.”

Danny led the way, wondering what the hell he did that for, or what the hell he expected to happen, or why his heart was pounding like it would.

Then, he felt himself be knocked forward, stumbling but managing to avoid a fall. “Sorry, sorry!” Stiles gasped, rushing to help Danny to his feet. “You okay?”

“You clumsy fuck.” Danny laughed in response. Stiles laughed too, his hands still on Danny’s shoulders. They stopped laughing. Again, they just looked at each other, each waiting for something the other. They were both breathing harder, and being this close, this strangely together had Danny trembling.

“Hey, careful!” Stiles said, attempting a deliberate fall to break whatever strange mood was between them.

Danny caught him a little later than he expected, and the momentum sent him tumbling. Luckily, Stiles managed to use his stumbling feet to propel them towards Danny’s bed. They landed safely on the soft mattress. “Idiot…” Danny chuckled. Stiles wasn’t laughing.

Stiles was just lying on top of him. Looking down at him, glimmering brown eyes wide with what looked like want. But it wasn’t. It couldn’t be. But then why wasn’t he moving?

Stiles’ hands rested on Danny’s shoulders. Danny had only just realised his own arms were wrapped around Stiles, halfway down his back. He thought he should let go, but Stiles stayed rested on top of him, like he didn’t want to give in to distance. Then Danny felt something new. Stiles’ breath, warm and shaky, blanching his lips. He didn’t feel that before. That meant something undeniable. Stiles was getting closer to him.

This couldn’t be happening. What he wanted so desperately, what he told himself would never, ever happen. But here he was. He thought about what to do, what he could say, whether this was even what he thought. And then finally, at long last, he just stopped thinking.

He closed his eyes and met Stiles’ advancing lips with his own. For a moment, Stiles was still, and Danny started to worry, but then the other man moved his lips and locked them with his own. He moved a shaking hand up Stiles’ back and brought him down, lying back flat against the bed as his lips parted, allowing Stiles’ tongue to quickly swipe at Danny’s lips.

That was when this tentative kiss became something deeper, hungrier. Danny wrapped his arms tighter around Stiles and bunched his fists in the fabric of his jacket, while he put his own hands around Danny’s neck and further tilted his head, allowing him to deepen the kiss even more. They were pressed together, Stiles’ legs now parted on the either side of Danny’s waist, but their wanting whines and low breaths that came in the brief moments their lips parted said it wasn’t close enough.

Danny’s mind was frozen. Or no, not frozen, fixed. On Stiles. There was nothing but him, his lips, his tongue, his hands, _him._ Kissing him like it was the only thing he’d ever wanted. And as Danny lay blissfully underneath the other man, he thought it maybe was.

The door latch clicked, and Stiles jumped off of him with a start. Danny sat up fast and bunched his hands over his lap as Scott and Isaac casually strolled through the door. “Stiles, come on buddy, it’s nearly curfew.” Scott said.

There was silence. Well, not quite. Danny and Stiles were still panting, hard. And Scott and Isaac’s faces said they both noticed. “You guys okay?” Isaac asked, puzzled as to what the hell this atmosphere was.

Danny opened his mouth to fumble over words, but Stiles spoke up. “We just got back. Had to run. Tour went longer than I thought. Sorry, yeah, I guess Scott and I should go…” Stiles said, turning to Danny almost as though he was waiting for an objection. Danny was still too shocked to say anything.

“Okay, cool. Let’s go.” Scott said, sensing the atmosphere with some slight confusion. Stiles slowly rose to his feet, hands also bunched in front of his waist, and followed Scott. “See you guys tomorrow. First place, we got this!” Scott yelled.

“Scott, it’s late.” Isaac reprimanded with care. Scott held his hands up apologetically and led the way out the door.

Stiles was next. He turned back around a moment. “See you tomorrow, Isaac.” He said. Then he turned to Danny with eyes vulnerable and joyful in equal measures. “Bye, Danny.”

He left. Danny still hadn’t moved, or said a word.

“You seem pretty tired, man." Isaac said, with slight concern.

Danny finally shook off his trance enough to half-heartedly rub his eyes. “Sorry. Yeah. We should go to sleep. Big day tomorrow.”

“I get it, man. Long day. I’ll go brush my teeth, then we can get some shut-eye.” Isaac decided, getting up to set his plan in motion.

Thankfully, Isaac wasn’t too much of the questioning type. So when he came out of the bathroom to see Danny frozen in the same position, entrenched in thought, he let it slide. All the way until the lights went out, and Danny stiffly removed his jeans and jacket to get under his blanket. He wasn’t sure when exactly he drifted off to sleep, but it was sometime after his heart stopped racing. After his muscles found a way to relax. But not before his brain stopped replaying the evening over and over again, replicating the feeling of Stiles’ lips on his, and above all else wondering what the hell this meant for the two of them. He thought about it right through until the morning, which seemed to come in a blink. And now, with all this stuff still fresh on his mind, he was about to compete for a National title.

Well, Danny thought to himself as he watched sunlight streaming through the thin curtains. It wouldn’t be a competition without some Stiles centred boy-drama.


	26. National Anthems

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are at Nationals! As the countdown til the last chapter continues, find out if the Hills Harmonics manage to capture a National Championship, but make no mistake, the story doesn't end there!
> 
> Sorry it's been longer between updates. College has been rough the past while, but I'm still eager to get this story out! If you're liking it, please leave comments, kudos, and bookmark for updates :)
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

It was just nerves. He knew that. But it didn’t help the feeling that he couldn’t breathe. Unable to resist any longer, Danny unlatched his pre-tied bowtie and pulled it off his neck, slipping his top button undone as he did. He took what he thought was a sigh of relief, but his body didn’t relax at all. He needed to get a hold of himself, there was no way he could get onstage and earn first place if he was just sitting there freaking out. It was no secret to him that this wasn’t just about the competition, though.

Sure, the fluttering feeling in his stomach had been strong all morning, but it wasn’t until he unwillingly caught sight of Stiles that his legs stopped being able to support him altogether, and he couldn’t seem to catch a breath. He could hear the laughter across the room, distant though it felt, but he couldn’t get into the spirit. All his energy was being focused on trying to somehow get in the zone.

Then, Stiles sat next to him. “Hey.” He said nervously. Danny turned to his left, and saw Stiles was struggling just as hard as him to maintain eye contact.

“Hey.” Danny replied.

Silence came and lingered. They both struggled to find something to say, skating on thin ice that might collapse under the wrong words. Finally, Stiles spoke again. “Why’d you take off your bowtie?” he asked.

“Too tight. It was pissing me off.” Danny explained, waving the tastefully glittered accessory slightly as he spoke.

With a breath of laughter, Stiles carefully took it from his hands. Unwilling to reckon with whatever charge would come when their hands met, Danny let it go quickly, but kept watch at what Stiles was doing. The other man easily loosened the bow tie by a few notches, though his fingers shook as he did, and held up the result. “Voila.” He said proudly with a grin. It brought out a similar one in Danny. “Flip your collar up.” Stiles instructed.

It was clear that Stiles was planning to put it on Danny. That meant getting a lot closer. Anxiously, he took a deep breath and flipped his collar up, stretching his neck in an effort to make it easy. Eyes only occasionally glancing up at his, Stiles gently looped the tie around Danny’s neck and clipped it. He suddenly let out a breath when Stiles’ fingers glanced his neck putting the collar back down. Once the other man’s hands withdrew, Danny moved his neck around, enjoying the new sense of freedom. “Fits perfect.” He said, now feeling slightly stupid that he never thought to loosen it off. The dangers of a clouded head, he supposed. Looking at Stiles now, his head felt clear. Like thick, black clouds had made way for a clear, blue sky.

The next silence was comfortable. Neither waited for the other to speak, they just sat in the warm glow of each other’s company, the distant sounds of championship show choir and gentle conversation of their friends proving some pretty comfortable background noise. It was just them and their team. It was peaceful. It was what Danny needed. And it made up Danny’s mind.

“We’re not talking about it.” He said, softly but abruptly. Stiles blinked. “Not today. Today’s not about us, it’s about the team. And when this is all over, we…” he trailed off. What expectation did he want to set? Ideally none, but the way Stiles was looking at him, he couldn’t end his sentence there. “Let’s just let today be great. Come on, you don’t want another competition day full of boy drama.”

Stiles laughed, and nodded. “You’re right. I just want you to know that I-“

“I’ll know later.” Danny promised. Stiles’ eyes glinted in understanding. “Come on. Let’s go see everyone.”

He stood, knowing Stiles would follow, and crossed the room to stand with the other Harmonics. As he approached, he sensed the electric excitement and determination. It was infectious. “Hey, guys. How you feeling?” Allison asked excitedly.

“Pretty good!” Stiles replied. “Anyone know how long it is until we’re on?”

Boyd pulled out his phone and stared at the screen a moment. “Ten minutes. Give or take.”

Gasps and squeals rang out among them, and Lydia abruptly dropped herself into a chair. “I can’t believe it.” She said, incredulously quiet. “This is really it. This is the last time.”

The moment she said it, it really started to sink in. For everyone. A wave of love, and nostalgia, and a strange melancholy passed over them as they looked around at each other. Decked out in shimmering outfits, the best they’d ever looked and the best they’d ever came to a competition. This was special. And it was slipping away. As Lydia started to bubble, a few of the others did too. Kira held Scott as he wiped his suddenly wet eyes, while Danny went to wrap his arms around Lydia from behind her seat, his heart tugging painfully at seeing her upset.

“It’s so weird.” Liam commented, drawing the eyes of the others. “I mean, I’ve only been here two years, but it still feels like… the biggest thing. And the best one. I don’t know I’m… I’m not ready for this to be over.” Allison had taken his hand halfway through, trying to comfort him. 

“Me neither.” Hayden sighed. “I mean, sure, we have another year, but… This feels like it. You know?”

“Yeah.” Malia interjected, head gently rested on Erica’s shoulder. “This kind of feels like what it’s been all building up to. But maybe it’s just because I’m new?”

Shaking her head to Malia’s reasoning, Erica spoke up. “No. We’ve been here before, and it’s never felt like this. Even when you guys weren’t the seniors, you were still the ones we talked to, looked up to. We’re all, like, connected. In this weird and cool and stupid way. And I’m really going to miss it. I mean, what the hell are Boyd and I going to do without Isaac?” she mused, ruffling Isaac’s soft curls. Lifting her head so that Erica and Boyd could sandwich Isaac in a hug, Malia’s eyes caught something and flashed concern as she moved towards it. Following her line of sight, Danny saw Stiles with his head bowed, sitting closed in on himself. He didn’t relax into Malia when her arm encircled him.

He looked up, and realised he was the focus of the room. “Aw, come on, don’t do this to me.” He joked. Even as tears rolled down his cheeks, he gave a chuckle everyone needed. “Um… Well, as long as we’re being honest, I’ve never felt better about myself than I did in Glee Club.” He said. The words belonged to Stiles, but the sentiment was true for all of them. His gaze met Danny’s. “So, thanks for that. All of you.” He smiled, and Danny thought his heart might burst.

Collectively, their eyes drifted to the hall door as applause rang inside. “Guess this is it.” Kira beamed, lifting the room with her smile. She held Scott’s hand with one hand, and held the other out, signalling the forming of a circle. They quickly and without question fell in line. “I know that got kind of serious there, but don’t forget why we’re here. We all love to perform. And we’re about to do it better than we ever have. Of course I’m going to miss all this. I met so many friends, my beautiful boyfriend, and… yeah. I have never felt better about myself than I did here. So, let’s go out there, kick some ass, and feel even better!” she rallied, to a fantastic cheer from the group.

Mr Hale clapped from a few feet across the room.

“Wait, he’s not inside?” Stiles questioned quietly.

“Not much point scouting the competition now.” Danny reasoned.

He stood before them, clearly trying not to get emotional himself. “Couldn’t have said it better myself, Kira. You’re all- you…” he trailed off, and the sight of tears beading at his eyes was nearly enough to set them all off. “No, this isn’t about me. This is about you.”

“Hills Harmonics?” a stagehand dressed in black called. “Time for your set. Break a leg.” She said cheerily.

“There’s your call.” Mr Hale said. “Knock them dead.”

Hearts starting to pound in time with their quick footsteps, the Harmonics pattered behind the stagehand to get to the stage, shushing each other as they squealed and laughed as quietly as they could. The darkness of backstage surrounded Danny as the heavy door shut behind him. He could vaguely see Kira kissing Scott good luck, Mason hyping up all the non-seniors, Allison and Lydia sharing a friendly hug, but nothing could draw his mind from the adrenaline that pushed his every step with force and fire, and the butterflies that fluttered ceaselessly inside him. They quickly formed their lines to head onstage. As Danny held his hand out for a quiet high five from Scott, the other man instead grabbed his hand and kissed it. “You and me. One last time, man.” He whispered. Danny nodded, eyes and smile gleaming, and body trembling with excitement.

Then Stiles passed him. He drank in that second of a look between them, and with it, there was calm. A few beats of his flying heart were all he felt, all he heard.

And then it was back to the stage.

They were introduced, one last time, and their music began. However much energy Danny thought was flowing through him, it just doubled. They walked on, taking their positions with grace and poise as Scott took centre stage.

“Empty spaces, what are we living for? Abandoned places, I guess we know the score, on and on…” Scott began. Internally, Danny jumped for joy as his best friend drove his electric voice out to the audience.

He, Stiles, and Isaac turned out to the front. “Does anybody know what we are looking for?” they harmonised impressively, gaining a few vocal appreciations from the audience.

One by one, the Harmonics turned, weaved between one another, came in with more and more intricate harmonies, until just the right moment when every left heel stomped into that stage at once. It was like thunder.

“The show must go on!” they blared, as epic as they had ever sounded. It felt incredible. The sound vibrated through Danny. 

Feeling the drums and guitars in their bones, they all strode across the stage and danced, their timing perfect to the split second, and their singing just as tight.

The song built, and Lydia sang, “My soul is painted like the wings of butterflies.”

The song built more, and Danny sang, “Fairy tales of yesterday, grow but never die.”

The song built even more, and Scott belted with Kira in furious harmony, “I can fly, my friends!”

And just when it seemed they couldn’t possibly go any harder, the ante was upped again. Carefully timed jumps, spins, and tricks that refused to sacrifice vocals, firing on all cylinders until it was time to bring it down.

“The show must go on, go on, go on…” they faded out.

There wasn’t even a moment for applause before a faster beat kicked off, and Erica swanned her way downstage. “Colour me your colour, baby, colour me your car.” She sang.

Danny was dancing with Malia, who moved like waves in a windstorm. She was psyching herself up for what was coming. Though she was the girl without a solo in the song, she was certain to be the star.

As Hayden and Malia’s “Any day, any way…” rang out, the Harmonics all parted way. They were still moving and harmonising, but in the centre, Malia danced like she was burning. He’d always known she was great, but the way she flew around as though she’d never known gravity was a thing of pure wonder. The audience couldn’t help but cheer, as the Harmonics surrounded her. She used the boys’ knees and outstretched arms as launch pads, leaping in the air while the other girls circled around with crisp moves of their own.

As Malia and the boys took their dance to the back of the stage, the girls moved forward, their singing a glorious roar of passion until the final “Call me!” boomed out into the hall. 

A shiver came over Danny as he exhaled. Now came their finale. It was their lowest energy number, but their most sentimental too. It was a risk, but Mr Hale insisted. Scott was shocked to learn that the song choice he earned with the teams competition would be their closer, but thrilled as well. If anything got the rest of the Harmonics on board with a more restrained closer, it was the incredible belief Scott had in it.

So lost in the moment, Danny didn’t even realise how loud they were being cheered as they took their positions for his final competition number with the Hills Harmonics. The audience died down, and for a moment, all he could hear was his heart. Then, a guitar strummed.

“I don’t even know myself at all, I thought I would be happy by now.” Isaac sang, his rich baritone bringing the crowd down to just the right mood. Lydia joined, singing with him, “But the more I try to push it I realise, got to let to of control.”

Then came the moment where all the seniors stepped forward and sang in gorgeous harmony, repeating, “Gotta let it happen. Gotta let it happen.” And as Danny looked around at his friends, per the staging, he caught Stiles’ eye. Facing straight towards each other, they kept repeating, “Gotta let it happen.” It felt like a sign. But more than that, it felt like the charge he needed to put his whole heart in the number.

The chorus came, and they strode around the stage, leaving smoke behind them as they danced. As the audience clapped in rhythm, Danny felt his heart ache with pride and effort, like a light in his chest was pulling him upwards, forwards, towards victory. As if the emotion wasn’t hitting the group hard enough already, the song slowed, forcing them to bask in the overwhelming beauty they felt around them.

“It’s not that I don’t feel the pain, it’s just I’m not afraid of hurting anymore.” Danny and Stiles sang together, sharing a smile as they did. Just before their eyes broke away, Danny knew he saw a tear fall.

Somehow still perfectly in tune, the Harmonics danced and clapped through the final chorus, tears streaming down their faces as they sang “It’s just a spark, but it’s enough to keep me going. And when it’s dark out, no one’s around, it keeps glowing.”

Just before they all dropped from exhaustion, but somehow far too soon, the number ended. The applause was rapturous.

Taking in that final moment, and that final bow, they looked at each other with this indescribable feeling they'd only ever felt here. Like just for a moment, they were joined at the soul. 

They ran offstage, trying not to cheer too loud as they jumped, span, and silently shrieked with joy. The hugs were sweaty, but as necessary as the water they furiously gulped down when they got back outside. Mr Hale quickly and proudly congratulated them, before heading inside the hall to listen out for results.

When Danny heard some gasps and whooping, he turned his head to see past his bottle of water, and nearly spat it out. Malia was clasping Erica’s face and kissing her, deeply and gratefully. It took a moment for them to remember there was people around them, and they sheepishly shuffled while the Harmonics awaited an explanation. Those who didn’t know already, that was.

“So… yeah.” Erica said. “This is a thing. We just wanted to keep it quiet until we were, like, official.”

“You didn’t keep it that quiet, but I’m happy for you.” Lydia said. The room was split, half agreeing with Lydia, and the others in disbelief.

“They didn’t?” Scott exclaimed. “Is anybody else hooking up that I don’t know about?!”

The group cracked up, and as they did, Danny couldn’t help it. He looked at Stiles. And Stiles was looking back, like a deer in headlights. They shared a short chuckle from across the room, and their eyes broke away. Only then did Danny notice Scott looking between them. Oh, no, Danny thought. He was putting the pieces together. Scott opened his mouth, but closed it when Danny’s eyes pleaded with him, his heart banging. Maybe Scott didn’t quite know yet, but neither did they, and the last thing they needed was everyone weighing in.

It barely felt like enough time to cross the room to a seat before Mr Hale burst out of the hall doors, frightening them. He had clearly ran ahead of the rest of the crowd, and he looked ecstatic. All at once, they realised what this could mean. Gathering around him, they clutched each other by the hands, shoulders, elbows, anything for support.

“Mr Hale?” Allison prodded.

He knew exactly what she was asking, and nodded his head. Their hearts stopped as one. They needed to hear it out loud before they exploded. Finally, Mr Hale ended the tension.

“We’re Top 3.”

They dissolved into whispered shrieks, shocked stares, and disbelieving laughter. Finally, for the first time ever, the Hills Harmonics had broken into the Top 3 at Nationals. Danny’s heart was just about breaking his ribcage as the realisation set in that after all his dreaming, they might actually win.

“Okay, okay, this is incredible. And I am so proud of all of you. That was better than anything I could have ever…” Mr Hale’s voice cracked, and he took a composing breath as the Harmonics awed at him. “But right now, we’re getting on that stage with dignity, and we’re walking off with dignity. Whatever happens.”

They promised with nods and smiles, and walked to the stage. Scott wrapped his arms around Danny and squeezed tight as he walked. He seemed to be making his way around the whole group, and somehow managed to do so before they got to the stage. When they did, the other Top 2 show choirs were already onstage, dignified and determined. They were greeted onstage with another round of applause, and stood in a clump at the right of the stage.

This was it. If they got third place, they would still be third in the country. That was still incredible, Danny thought, barely able to listen to the host over the buzzing in his head. Finally, third place was announced.

“The Ring of Choir!”

Danny and Lydia turned to each other, mouths agape, as they clapped. The previous year’s champions in third? Coming in second to them would have been a pipe dream last year, but here they were. Beating them. And there was just one more team between them and victory.

“And this year’s Show Choir National Champions… are…” The host held suspensefuly.

Danny clasped the hand next to him. He turned, and saw it was Stiles. The other man gripped back just as hard, eyes trained on the host. Danny looked back, just in time for the host to point the card towards him and his friends. He gasped.

“The Hills Harmonics!”

Danny’s held breath erupted into a scream that matched the twelve surrounding him, as confetti rained down heavily around them. Tears flowed, people were jumping, the audience roared congratulations, and the feeling of victory set in. It was incredible.

Without thinking, Danny grabbed Stiles and lifted him in the air, arms wrapped around him so tight the other man could have passed out. He let him down, drinking in the fantastic grin he was met with. Around him, Mason, Isaac, and Boyd were jumping up and down in a three, Scott and Erica had dipped their respective partners into a kiss, and Mr Hale received high fives from Hayden and Liam between their hugging, fist pumping, and screaming

Allison and Lydia took the enormous trophy from the host and squatted down by it as a photographer approached. Taking the cue, everyone crowded in tight. Danny held part of the trophy in one hand. In the other, he held Stiles, close and unapologetic. And just for a moment, everything was completely perfect.

It was a high they rode the whole rest of the night, never quite able to shake the shock or the joy as they ate together, talked, and never quite stopped squealing.

It was a high they rode all the way back to Beacon Hills, texting and calling everyone they knew, posting pictures online, and drinking in their sweet victory.

It was a high Danny wouldn’t let himself look away from. Not even to look at Stiles. The whole way home. And the days that followed. That kiss and that moment onstage were so perfect, he almost couldn’t bear to move past it. 

Though he had made a promise to discuss that kiss with Stiles after Nationals, it was one he chose to break. He couldn’t face whatever came next. He just wanted to live in that moment forever. He couldn't, though. It wasn’t until a few days later that the guilt really sat in, that he had ignored Stiles the entire way home for fear of having that talk. And by then, it was too late. Messages that went unanswered eventually stopped coming, and though Nationals would be a victory he'd never forget, he feared it was also the last day he had any hope of having the person he felt so strongly for. He ignored it best he could, but he should have learned by now, he'd never really be able to ignore what he felt for Stiles.


End file.
